Beijing, Jun 29 (IANS): China's national observatory has renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms across vast stretches of the country.

Until Tuesday afternoon, heavy rains and rainstorms are expected in provincial-level regions including Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi, the National Meteorological Centre said.

The centre warned that some areas of Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guizhou and Sichuan will experience downpours with up to 180 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, reports Xinhua news agency.

Some regions will see thunderstorms, strong winds and over 80 mm of hourly precipitation, the centre said.

It advised local authorities to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides and recommended halting outdoor operations in hazardous areas.

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

The Ministry of Water Resources, together with the China Meteorological Administration, issued an orange alert for mountain torrents, warning of a high possibility of them occurring in parts of Jiangxi to Tuesday evening, while they are also likely in parts of Fujian, Sichuan and Yunnan.

In face of the upcoming storms, the ministry on Monday dispatched two more workgroups to the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi to assist with local flood prevention and relief work.

The ministry has already sent four work teams to the provincial regions of Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia to guide local flood control work and rescue in light of the severe situation on two major rivers in northeast China.