China issues red alert for mountain torrents

China's meteorological and water resources authorities issued this year's first red alert for mountain torrents in some central, eastern and southern regions on Thursday evening.

In the country's four-tier warning system, red represents the highest level, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

From 8 pm Thursday to 8 pm Friday, mountain torrents are highly likely to hit some areas of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

The two departments emphasized that local authorities should implement timely preventive measures such as real-time monitoring, flood prevention warnings and evacuation measures.

The National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for rainstorms on Friday morning, warning heavy rainfall in areas such as Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangxi from Friday to Sunday. The cumulative precipitation level could reach 500 millimeters in certain areas.

These areas may also experience severe convective weather such as short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and strong winds, the center added.