Yellow alert for rainstorms issued for southern China

China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a yellow alert for heavy rains on Wednesday, forecasting heavy rainfall in some southern swaths of the country. Certain areas may experience short-term rainstorms, with maximum hourly precipitation reaching 30-50 millimeters. 

The China Meteorological Administration has activated a Level-III emergency response for heavy rains, according to the CMA on Wednesday. Some provinces and regions have already launched emergency response efforts for the heavy rainfall. 

According to Fujian emergency management authorities, the provincial flood control authorities have activated the Level-IV emergency response for heavy rains beginning at 9 am on Wednesday. Measures have been taken to strengthen monitoring and forecasting, and authorities emphasized the need to implement a direct disaster early warning mechanism that reaches frontline personnel at the grassroots level.

Ganzhou city in southern Jiangxi Province activated a fourth-level flood emergency response on Wednesday. All government agencies are required to implement their responsibilities and plans to ensure effective flood prevention and disaster relief efforts, according to Gannan Daily, citing Ganzhou emergency management authorities.

This round of heavy rainfall is forecast to be the most intense to date this year.

Rainfall in southern regions is forecast to significantly weaken on Thursday. There will be scattered heavy rain in southern parts of South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province, southern parts of East China’s Fujian Province and other areas, according to the NMC.

Meteorological experts warn of a high risk of mountain floods, geological disasters, and localized flooding in southern regions due to strong rainfall. The public is advised to closely monitor the latest forecasts and warnings issued by local meteorological departments. The NMC urged people to avoid going to dangerous areas such as mountainous regions and river valleys. 

China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a Level-IV emergency response for flood prevention in provinces including Jiangxi. Two working groups have been dispatched to key areas to assist and guide flood prevention and disaster relief efforts, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday. 

China has instituted a four-tier weather warning system, red denotes the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The emergency response system also has four tiers, with Level-I being the most severe.

In contrast, North and Northeast China will experience continued sunny and hot weather over the next three days, with some areas in Northeast China likely reaching temperatures above 30 C for the first time this year, according to Weather China.