Weather center issues rain alert for South China

The National Meteorological Center on Wednesday issued a blue alert for heavy rain, the lowest level of the ranking, as a burst of rain is forecast to continue hitting most parts of South China from Wednesday to Thursday.

So far the center has issued warnings for torrential rain for 30 consecutive days, which is rare, observers said.

According to the center, this round of rain will batter more than seven regions -- the provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang, Chongqing municipality and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

In these areas, precipitation could reach anywhere from 100 to 150 millimeters, which will produce risks of disasters, such as torrential floods.

According to the center, since June 1, five rounds of heavy rainfall have hit southern China, and nearly 1.5 million square kilometers of land have seen at least 200 millimeters of accumulated precipitation.

Hu Xiao, a chief forecaster with the China Meteorological Administration, said heavy rainfall during the flood season was caused by abundant water vapor.

“The Pacific and Indian oceans are two powerful suppliers of the water vapor in our country. In summer, wind usually blows from south to north, transporting the vapor from the ocean to the land."

Hu warned that as rainy days increased, areas with frequent heavy rainfall are vulnerable to disasters such as floods in small or medium rivers, mudslides and mud-rock flows. The public must take precautions, including cutting outdoor electricity and suspending outdoor operations.