Heavy rain to hit N, NE China

BEIJING -- Torrential rain triggered by typhoon Rammasun was forecast to hit Northeast China and North China in coming days after the strongest typhoon in four decades battered southern provinces, China's meteorological authority said on Sunday.

Heavy rain or rainstorms were predicted to sweep most parts of northeast China as well as central and northern parts of north China from Sunday to Tuesday, with some areas to see precipitation of 100 to 150 mm, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

As of Saturday, Rammasun had killed at least 16 people in China as it brought gales and downpours to a number of southern provinces.

An orange alert for Rammasun has been lifted as it is abating and affecting fewer Chinese localities. A top-level red alert for Rammasun was issued by the center on Saturday.

China has a four-color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.