BEIJING, June 17 -- The National Meteorological Center has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain in south and east China.

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

From Wednesday afternoon to Thursday, storms will hit regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, affecting Shanghai and the provinces of Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou, the NMC said in a statement.

Torrential rain will be seen in some northern parts of Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang as well as southern Anhui, according to the statement.

The NMC warned local authorities to monitor the conditions and take precautions against waterlogging, landslides and other disasters.