China renews blue alert for heavy rain

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- CHINA's national observatory renewed a blue alert Tuesday for heavy rain in a vast part of south CHINA.

From Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon, heavy rain is expected to hit parts of Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces, as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the National Meteorological Center said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, areas in northern Guangdong will be hit by up to 110 mm of rainfall within 24 hours.

The center advised local governments to keep alert to possible flooding, landslides and mudslides caused by heavy rain, and halt outdoor operations in hazardous areas.

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