BEIJING, May 7 -- Chinese authorities on Wednesday launched an emergency response to and multiple alerts for incoming or possible natural disasters.

The National Meteorological Center has issued a blue alert for heavy rainfall and severe convective weather, and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has initiated a Level-III emergency response to meteorological disasters.

From 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday, thunderstorms, gales or hail are forecast to hit parts of Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Shanxi, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi, while winds of over force 11 (28.5-32.6 meters per second) on the national wind scale will hit parts of Hunan, Jiangxi, Chongqing and Guizhou.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the CMA have also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents that could strike parts of Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan.

A yellow alert for meteorological risks of geological disasters was also launched on Wednesday, warning that such risks will be relatively high in some areas of Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou.

Localities have been urged to spare no effort in their real-time monitoring, early warning and evacuation procedures, and the public has been advised to be cautious when in the affected areas.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The emergency response system also has four tiers, with Level I being the most severe.