China issues alerts for rainstorms, mountain torrents

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological and water resources authorities issued alerts on Friday evening 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 Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, according to a yellow alert issued by the National Meteorological Center.

Parts of these regions may experience temporary showers with maximum hourly precipitation surpassing 80 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms or gales, the center said.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration issued a blue alert, saying mountain torrents are likely to hit parts of the aforementioned regions from 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Mountain torrents are highly likely to occur in some areas of northern Fujian during the same period, according to a yellow alert for mountain torrents also issued by the two departments.

Local governments have been urged to implement precautionary measures and ensure the safety of people.

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