BEIJING - China's national observatory on Saturday issued a yellow alert for rainstorms as heavy downpours continue to batter large swathes of the country.

According to the National Meteorological Center, heavy rain and rainstorms are expected to lash Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Shaanxi, Henan and Hubei in the next 24 hours starting from 8 am Saturday.

Some areas will experience downpours with up to 70 mm of hourly rainfall, the center said, warning that parts of Henan and Hubei will see up to 280 mm of daily precipitation.

The center urged local authorities to step up emergency response and guard against possible disasters such as landslides.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Saturday's yellow alert was an upgrade from the blue one issued Friday, and the center has issued rainstorm alerts for the subsequent 26 days.

Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China and the water levels of many rivers in the affected areas exceeded the danger mark.

Ministry of Water Resources has called for all-out efforts to prevent floods and has dispatched teams to affected areas to facilitate flood prevention and control.