China issues flood alert as Typhoons Narra and Gaenari approach

China's Ministry of Water Resources has renewed a yellow flood alert as Typhoon Narra, the 19th typhoon of the year, and Typhoon Gaenari, the 20th, are expected to bring heavy rain to a vast stretch of areas in southern and eastern China from Monday to Wednesday.

China has a four-tier flood and weather warning system, with red representing the most severe level, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Heavy to torrential rain is forecast for eastern and southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Guangdong province, northern and western Hainan province, Fujian province, central and southern Jiangxi province, central and southern Hunan province, and southeastern Zhejiang province, with most areas expected to receive 50 to 80 millimeters of rain, the ministry said in a media release on Monday.

Some parts of southeastern Guangxi, the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong, northwestern Hainan province, the southern coast of Zhejiang and coastal Fujian may see 90 to 150 mm, with some places exceeding 200 mm, the release noted.

The ministry has warned of potential flooding along the Zuojiang River in Chongzuo, Guangxi, while noting that water levels in the Nanning reach of the Yujiang River are likely to climb above the alert mark.

The water level in Taihu Lake is expected to remain above the warning mark, while major rivers, including the Beijiang, Dongjiang and Hanjiang in the Pearl River basin, and the Yalu River in Northeast China, are likely to see rising water levels.

The Ministry of Water Resources Information Center urged residents in Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Zhejiang, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shanxi and Liaoning, as well as Guangxi and the Inner Mongolia autonomous regions, to stay alert, avoid flooded roads and underground passages, and prepare for evacuation in low-lying, mountainous and riverside areas.