China issues alerts for rainstorm, severe convective weather

BEIJING -- China's meteorological authority renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms and a blue alert for severe convective weather Thursday, warning of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across parts of the country over the next three days.

Through Saturday, heavy to torrential rain is forecast across parts of Sichuan, Chongqing and Yunnan in southwest China, Guangdong and Guangxi in South China, Henan in Central China, Shaanxi and Gansu in Northwest China, and Shanxi and Hebei in North China, with some areas expected to receive extremely heavy rainfall, the National Meteorological Center said.

Within 24 hours until 8 am Friday, the central and western parts of Sichuan Basin, eastern Gansu, northern Henan, northern Shandong, central and southern coastal Guangxi, and central and southwestern coastal Guangdong could receive rainfalls up to 240 mm, the NMC said.

Some of the affected areas could see short-duration heavy rainfall, with hourly precipitation exceeding 70 mm.

Meanwhile, Northeast China's Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, along with Inner Mongolia in North China, are forecast to see frequent, severe convective weather over the next three days, including thunderstorms, strong winds and hail.