China again issues alert for rainstorm in south

 　　BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory¹ on Friday issued a blue alert for a new round of rainstorms expected to hit the country's southern regions over next three days.

　　From Saturday to Monday, heavy rains are likely to fall in most parts of regions along the Yangtze, Hanjiang and Huaihe rivers as well as south China, the National Meteorological Center said.

　　Some parts in Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, Chongqing municipality as well as Guangxi Zhuang autonomous² region will also likely see heavy rains from Friday to Saturday, the center said.

　　Of these regions, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi are expected to see rainstorms, it said.

　　From April 5 to May 10, the country's southern regions have experienced eight rounds of heavy rainstorms, pushing up water levels of major rivers, it said.

　　The center urged local authorities in south China to strengthen monitoring and guard against possible geological disasters such as landslides³.

　　Meanwhile, it forecast thunderstorms, strong winds and hail in southeastern parts of northwest China, Sichuan province and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau within the next 24 hours.

　　The national observatory uses a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

1 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

2 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

3 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。