Blue alert issued for heavy rain

China's meteorological authorities issued a blue alert for heavy rain on Tuesday, as most of the country's southern and eastern parts will be hit by strong downpours in the next 24 hours.

Regions including the cities of Beijing and Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Yunnan will see torrential rain and even thunderstorms, with precipitation in some areas up to 130 mm, the National Meteorological Center said.

Strong winds and hail are possible.

The center warned of waterlogging in cities and landslides in mountain areas.

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