BEIJING, June 23 -- The China Meteorological Administration raised the emergency response to rainstorms from level III to level II on Sunday.

The renewed response came in the wake of forecasts of continuous heavy downpours in regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the following week.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for rainstorms, with level I being the most severe.

In the meantime, the National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for rainstorms on Sunday morning, forecasting heavy downpours and rainstorms in Heilongjiang, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hainan from Sunday to Monday afternoon.

Some parts of these regions will experience short-term heavy rainfall, with hourly precipitation reaching 70 mm or more, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales.

Local governments have been urged to make proper preparations and fulfill their responsibilities accordingly.

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