At least 186 people have died due to severe flooding in southern China, as weather authorities on Sunday restored an orange alert for heavy rain in the next 24 hours

At least 186 people have died due to severe flooding in southern China, as weather authorities on Sunday restored an orange alert for heavy rain in the next 24 hours

Thunderstorms will hit the provinces of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Sunday morning to Monday morning, with precipitation reaching up to 220 millimeters in some areas, the National Meteorological Center said on its website

Heavy rains are forecast to hit the southern regions over the next 10 days. Nepartak, the year’s first typhoon, is expected to bring gale-force winds and heavy rain to eastern coastal areas next week

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue

Disaster relief authorities said on Sunday that 91 rivers have surpassed their warning levels and that they are under severe pressure to prevent more floods. They suggested people reduce outdoor activities and take precautions against possible floods and landslides

On Sunday, a second flood peak was formed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China’s longest river. As of 3 am Sunday, water at the Datong Hydrologic Station in Anhui Province had reached the warning level and continued to rise

The flooding came after continuous rain, and the Yangtze River has been hit 16 times by strong rainfall since mid-March. Some 43 rivers along the Yangtze have surpassed their safe limits

Precipitation along the Yangtze has been around 20 percent more than in previous years

Dongting Lake’s water level is about a meter higher than in previous years, while the water level of Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater body, is two meters higher than in previous years

On Sunday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported that 186 people have died and 45 people are missing. Some 32.8 million people in 1,192 counties in 26 provincial-level regions have been affected by the heavy rainfall and floods. More than 56,000 houses have reportedly collapsed. The overall estimated damage was around 50.6 billion yuan ($7.62 billion)

In Hubei Province alone, 25 people have died and six others remain missing. More than 6 million people are suffering from the floods. In Anhui Province, 16 people were reportedly killed and six others remain missing

Chen Guiya, deputy director of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, said there is absolutely no let-up in flood control efforts as floods have damaged several river banks

"Flood control facilities, especially the main dikes along the Yangtze River have been reinforced since 1998 to withstand severe floods, but rising water levels have damaged many river banks in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, posing great danger," Chen said

A similar El Nino effect triggered heavy flooding along the Yangtze and led to more than 1,320 deaths in 1998. Experts said the Yangtze’s main dikes are not likely to be damaged by floods as they were in 1998, but severe floods are likely to hit its tributaries

China is expected to face very complicated weather conditions from El Nino, and there is a relatively high possibility of basin-wide floods this year, Vice Premier Wang Yang warned in mid-June