Heavy rains hit Beijing

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds began battering Beijing as the city renewed an orange alert for rainstorms on Wednesday.

Hourly precipitation in most parts of the city is expected to exceed 70 mm from 5 p.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday, with rainfall in the western and northern mountainous areas and the eastern areas expected to exceed 100 mm within six hours, according to the alert issued by the Beijing Meteorological Service.

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