BEIJING: China on Tuesday evening issued blue and yellow alerts for mountain torrents in some regions of the country.
From 8 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, mountain torrents are likely to occur in parts of Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, according to the blue alert issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.
The two departments also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in the northwestern part of Guangxi and the southern part of Guizhou.
Mountain torrents could also be triggered by temporary heavy downpours in other areas, the alert warned.
Localities have been advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warning procedures, and to prepare for possible evacuation, among measures to avoid risks. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
As a special flood phenomenon, mountain torrents have different motion and dynamic characteristics than ordinary floods. Rainstorm and mountain flood have the characteristics of fast current velocity, high sediment content, large destructive power, steep water potential, and short duration. The motion characteristics of mountain torrents
Mountain torrents occur in smaller basins. Under the impact of strong rainstorm, water converges fleetly and forms mountain torrents, reaching the highest water level quickly. –Agencies
