The National Meteorological Center has upgraded a yellow warning for severe convective weather, forecasting strong thunderstorms, gales, hail, and heavy downpours across some regions in China from 2 pm Wednesday to 2 pm Thursday.

The alert covers part of Northeast China, North China, and the eastern parts of Northwest China. Some areas in northern and central Heilongjiang province are expected to experience thunderstorm gales, with peak wind gusts exceeding 32.6 meters per second. Localized tornadoes may occur, according to NMC.

Short-term heavy rainfall of over 20 millimeters per hour is also expected in parts of Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China and southern China.

Some areas, including southern Liaoning province, part of Hebei province, Beijing, Tianjin, and Guangdong and Hainan provinces, could see hourly rainfall exceeding 50 mm, with local totals surpassing 70 mm.

The most intense period of severe convective activity is forecast from Wednesday afternoon through the night.

The NMC also renewed a blue alert for heavy rain from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon. Moderate to heavy rain and rainstorms are forecast in areas including parts of Shanxi province, Hebei province, most of Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong province, Sichuan Basin, Yunnan province, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and some parts of Northeast China.

Some areas, such as eastern Hebei and northwestern Sichuan Basin, may experience extreme downpours of 100 to 160 mm.

Meanwhile, high temperatures continue to expand across eastern and central China, with temperatures exceeding 37 C in parts of southern Huanghuai region and Jiangnan region. Over the coming week, sustained heat is expected to affect Huanghuai, Jianghuai, Jianghan and Jiangnan regions, with some areas likely to see temperatures surpass 40 C.

Meteorological authorities have prepared for artificial hail suppression operations. Transportation hubs including airports, railways, highways and waterways have been advised to implement measures such as flight restrictions and temporary closures to ensure safety.

Officials have also urged local governments to step up efforts in flood drainage, and to guard against potential flash floods, landslides and mudslides.