Northeast China province issues highest rainstorm alerts

HARBIN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Sunday afternoon issued two red alerts for rainstorms, with red being the highest alert level in the country's four-tier weather warning system, according to the provincial meteorological observatory.

The observatory issued the first red alert at 1:10 p.m., followed by a second at 2:20 p.m. It said that several townships in the province have seen rainfall ranging from 50 mm to 70 mm within a period of one to two hours.

Heavy rain is expected to continue, with forecasts predicting cumulative rainfall of 100 mm or more.

At 1:40 p.m. Sunday, it also warned of severe convective weather, forecasting thunderstorms, gales and hail, as well as heavy rain in some parts of the province over the next six hours. ■