Heavy rains batter China, storm alert level raised

Heavy rains today lashed several parts of north China, flooding streets and halting transport services as the meteorological authority raised its storm alert from yellow to orange.
Shanxi Province is experiencing its heaviest rainfall since the high water season began, with 109 out of 119 cities and counties receiving rain today, local authorities said.
Shanxi's capital Taiyuan experienced the heaviest rainfall of this year starting on Monday night, with average precipitation reaching 114.4 mm this afternoon.
The downpours have flooded the city and caused heavy traffic jams on its major roads. A large number of public buses have been halted, and flights have been delayed.

In neighbouring Shaanxi Province, local rail services have been affected, with several trains linking Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia halted or delayed today, according to the Xi'an Railway Bureau.
Beijing started to see rainfall this morning, and authorities said more downpours are forecast.

Heavy rain across the south since June followed by a powerful tornado and hailstorm in Yancheng City in China's Jiangsu Province have killed 300 people while over 100 are missing.
More heavy rain is forecast to hit north China in the coming days, said the China Meteorological Administration.
The National Meteorological Centre has also raised its storm alert from yellow to orange.

China has a four-tier colour-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
The centre has advised residents to take precautions against possible floods, landslides, mud and rock flows.