China renews blue alert for torrential rain

Beijing [China], July 20 : China's National Meteorological Center on Wednesday renewed a blue alert for torrential rain in some parts of the country.
Rainstorms are expected in parts of Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan from 8 am Wednesday to 8 am Thursday as heavy downpours of up to 150 mm may lash parts of these regions, Xinhua reported.
Several regions will receive short-term heavy rainfall, with over 70 mm of hourly precipitation in some places, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales, the meteorological center said adding that local governments have been advised to make appropriate preparations and check the drainage systems in cities, farmland and fishponds.
The meteorological centre has also alerted drivers to watch out for flooding and traffic jams and has asked schools and kindergartens to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children, reported Xinhua.
The country's National Meteorological Center had renewed the blue alert for rainstorms on July 13 as well.
Numerous parts of China are experiencing heavy rainfall and floods.
Extensive rainfalls in China have induced floods in several parts of the country including Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province.
The torrential rains and rain-induced floods since May 28 have wreaked havoc in 80 counties of the province. As per the local authorities, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, more than 3.75 million residents have been affected by floods and heavy rains.
A total of 548,000 people have been affected due to heavy rain in China's Jiangxi province as direct economic losses from the floods touched 470 million yuan (about 70.4 million US dollars).
Multiple low-lying areas in Chongqing are flooded across its 39 districts and counties with maximum rainfall reaching 213.5 m.
China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.