China issues alerts for rainstorms, mountain torrents

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological and water resources authorities on Friday evening issued alerts for rainstorms and mountain torrents in multiple regions of the country.

From 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday, heavy downpours or rainstorms are expected to hit parts of Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and the Sichuan Basin, according to a blue alert issued by the National Meteorological Center.

Parts of these regions may experience rainfall with maximum hourly precipitation surpassing 70 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales or hail, the center warned.

From 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday, mountain torrents are likely to occur in parts of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Hunan and Guizhou, according to a blue alert issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

The two departments also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in the western part of Hunan and the eastern part of Guizhou.

Related authorities and organizations should implement precautionary measures and ensure the safety of people, said the authorities.

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