Heavy southern rains may cause flooding

Several torrential rainstorms are expected to sweep across most of southern China this week and might trigger floods and landslides, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The center has forecast downpours and rainstorms in over 10 municipalities and provinces along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu provinces and Chongqing and Shanghai until Wednesday. Thunderstorms and gales are expected in some areas.

The center renewed a blue alert - the lowest level in the four-tier system - for rainstorms in those regions on Monday, with precipitation forecast to range from 100 to 160 millimeters.