The National Meteorological Center (NMC) has announced that up to 180mm of torrential rainfall is expected in the southern parts of China over the next 24 hours. 

The meteorologists, who have warned local authorities to prepare for flooding and mudslides, also noted that the rainfall would be accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms.

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According to Xinhua, a yellow alert was issued for several provinces in the south including Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Guizhou and Jiangxi.

This is not the first time that the NMC has warned local authorities to prepare for heavy rainfall this year. Since April, heavy rainfall has battered the southern parts of China; leading to the deaths of several people and damage to properties worth billions of yuan.

An expert told China Daily last month that compared to other years, the flooding from the rainy season monsoon in south China has been comparatively less this year. While the number of people affected by flooding and the number of deaths have reduced by 14 percent and 38 percent respectively, the economic effects to these sprouting economies is twice as severe.

Experts say there has been historical flooding in several parts of south China this rainy season. This past weekend, several scenic villages in south China were destroyed by flooding. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the rainfall affected nearly a million residents in several provinces, including Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing, ECNS reported. Due to the destruction the storm wrought to thousands of hectares of farmlands in these areas, local authorities say there may not be any harvest in some counties.

The rains have caused disruptions in electricity and water supply to several of the worst affected areas. Local sources say several people are forced to relocate when such flood alerts are issued. China uses a four-level color coding system to warn about impending rainfall (in their order of severity - red, orange, yellow, blue).

TagsChina torrential rainfall, South China heavy rainfall alert, China rainy season, China rainfall