Pedestrians walk in the rain in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on May 23, 2025. Photo: VCG

China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for heavy rains in some southern regions, warning that certain areas may experience torrential rain reaching 100-150 millimeters. The rainfall in southern regions was forecast as the most intense rainfall of the year so far, according to the NMC.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) jointly issued a yellow alert for mountain flood disasters at 6 pm on Wednesday. At the same time, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the CMA jointly issued an alert for geological disaster meteorological risks in some regions.

According to Fujian emergency management authorities, the provincial flood control authorities activated the level-IV emergency response for heavy rains beginning at 9 am on Wednesday. Measures have been taken to strengthen monitoring and forecasting, and authorities emphasized the need to implement a direct disaster early warning mechanism that reaches frontline personnel at the grassroots level.

Ganzhou in Jiangxi Province activated a fourth-level flood emergency response on Wednesday. All government agencies are required to implement their responsibilities and plans to ensure effective flood prevention and disaster relief efforts, according to Ganzhou emergency management authorities.

The Jiangxi meteorological authorities warned the public on Wednesday that there is a high risk of geological disasters, mountain floods, flooding in small to medium rivers and waterlogging. They advised the public to take precautions.

Rainfall in southern regions is forecast to significantly weaken on Thursday. There will be scattered heavy rain in southern parts of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province, southern parts of East China's Fujian Province and other areas, according to the NMC.

Meteorological experts warned of a high risk of mountain floods, geological disasters and localized flooding in southern regions due to strong rainfall. The public is advised to closely monitor the latest forecasts and warnings issued by local meteorological departments. The NMC urged people to avoid going to dangerous areas such as mountainous regions and river valleys. 

China has instituted a four-tier weather warning system. Red denotes the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and then blue. The emergency response system also has four tiers, with Level-I being the most severe.

In contrast, North and Northeast China will experience continued sunny and hot weather over the next three days, with some areas in Northeast China likely to reach temperatures above 30 C for the first time this year, according to Weather China.

Global Times