China warns of geological disasters as rain continues in south

A road is blocked by a landslide in Lin'an, East China's Zhejiang province, Saturday, May 7, 2016. The western rural area of Lin'an city was hit by strong rain beginning at 2 am Saturday and some village roads were blocked by landslides. No casualties were reported. [Photo/chinanews.com]

BEIJING - China's meteorological authority on Saturday warned of possible geological disasters in the south as heavy rain that had hit most regions in the south showed little sign of weakening.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) warned of high risks of geological disasters in parts of Fujian, Jiangxi provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, suggesting people in the areas take precautions against possible mountain torrents, mud-rock flows and landslides.

The NMC renewed a blue alert for rainstorm on Saturday afternoon, forecasting that heavy rain will continue in Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang from Saturday night to Sunday night, with precipitation expected to reach up to 120 millimeters.

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