Northern China braces for torrential rains

Multiple weather warnings have been issued and emergency responses activated as several parts of northern and northeastern China brace for a period of heavy rainstorms, starting on Wednesday, after torrential downpours wreaked havoc in southwestern and central regions of the country earlier this week.

The National Meteorological Center upgraded its blue alert for rainstorms to a yellow alert on Wednesday, warning of heavy rainfall in Beijing, Tianjin and parts of Hebei and Shanxi provinces from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening. Some places are expected to face strong winds and receive 100 to 160 millimeters of rainfall per hour, it warned.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.