WUHAN, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province upgraded its emergency response to rainstorms from Grade IV to Grade III on Sunday as the province was forecast to experience heavy rains from Sunday to Wednesday.

Torrential rains battered some areas of the province on Saturday. The provincial meteorological bureau forecast continuous rainfall in the next few days and uplifted the response from the lowest grade to the second-lowest in the country's four-tier emergency response system.

The emergency management department of Hubei reminded local authorities to ensure the safety of the venues for the upcoming national college entrance exam and students to avoid dangerous sites on their way to the test starting July 7.

From June 8 to 30, Hubei saw average accumulative precipitation of 309 mm, 24 percent more than the average total of the rainy seasons in previous years, according to the bureau.