Heavy rain to continue in south China

BEIJING - Heavy rain will continue to sweep south China in the next two days, the country's meteorological authority said Sunday.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) renewed a blue alert for rainstorms, saying torrential rain will hit the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Parts of those regions will see thunderstorms or hail from Sunday to Monday morning, according to the NMC.

On Monday, the rain will spread southward without signs of relenting, the NMC said.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The NMC warned the public to stay away from mountainous areas and river valleys as floods, mudslides and rock flows are possible.