China meteorological authority upgrades emergency response to Level III for heavy rainfall

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) upgraded its emergency response to heavy rainfall from a fourth-level to a third-level at 8:30 am on Wednesday, according to a release from the CMA’s WeChat account.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue rainstorm alert at 10 am on Wednesday. It is forecast that from 2 pm Wednesday to 2 pm Thursday, there will be heavy to torrential rain in parts of Northwest China’s Gansu Province, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. Rainfall may reach 100-140 millimeters in a certain period in some regions of Sichuan and Chongqing, according to the NMC.

Meanwhile, the NMC continued to issue a yellow alert for high temperatures at 6 am on Wednesday. Temperatures in the southern parts of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, southern parts of North China’s Shanxi Province and some regions in Central China may exceed 40 C.

The ground temperatures in some regions such as Henan soared above 70 C on Tuesday, according to Weather China.

Meteorological experts indicate that Thursday will mark the peak of this precipitation cycle. Regions such as South China are expected to experience significant rainfall, and due to the large cumulative precipitation in the earlier period, it is necessary to be vigilant about the potential secondary disasters including landslides and severe convective weather hazards caused by continuous rainfall or localized heavy rain, according to the NMC.

The city of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province on Wednesday issued a red alert for high temperatures, according to Xi’an authorities. Forecasts indicate that in some regions of the city, the highest temperatures surpass 40 C. Local authorities advise the public to implement emergency heat prevention measures.

Linfen in Shanxi Province issued the city’s first red alert for high temperatures on Tuesday, with predictions that some regions will exceed 40 C, according to Linfen Daily.

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