WUHAN, July 20  -- The Yangtze River, China's longest, is expected to hit its first flood peak this year soon, due to continuous rainfall upstream, authorities said Sunday.

The water level at the Chenglingji Hydrological Station in central China's Hunan Province, a major flood monitoring spot on Yangtze, exceeded the warning level at 10 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Yangtze River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The headquarters issued a notice to the governments of Hunan and Hubei Provinces, both on the river and often victim to floods, to be alert on the peak flow.

The two provinces are required to conduct more patrols along the dams and to prepare sufficient flood control material.