China on Sunday issued a red alert, the highest in the four-tier warning system, for mountain flood risks across large parts of central and eastern China.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued the red alert for mountain flood disasters on Sunday evening, warning that some areas in western Anhui province and eastern Hubei province face an extremely high risk of flash floods between 8 pm Sunday and 8 pm Monday.

Orange-level mountain flood risk warnings were also issued for parts of western Zhejiang province, southern and western Anhui province, northeastern Jiangxi province and eastern Hubei province. Localized short-duration downpours in other regions could also trigger flash floods, according to the alerts.

At the same time, the National Meteorological Center upgraded its rainstorm warning to orange, forecasting heavy to torrential rainfall from Sunday night through Monday across regions including the Yangtze River basin, parts of North China and southwestern China.

Some areas in Henan province, Anhui province, Hunan province, Jiangxi province and Chongqing are expected to experience severe rainstorms, while localized areas in southwestern Anhui and eastern Hubei could see extreme rainfall of 250 to 300 millimeters within 24 hours.

The storms are also expected to bring short-term intense rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, strong winds and hail, according to the center.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the CMA jointly issued a meteorological risk warning for geological disasters.

Parts of southern Anhui province and eastern Hubei province face high risks of geological disasters under an orange-level warning, according to the alert.

Local governments have been urged to strengthen disaster prevention measures, including real-time monitoring, flood-control warnings and evacuation efforts.

Residents in areas under orange-level geological disaster warnings are advised to evacuate immediately from high-risk zones near slopes, cliffs, rivers and ravines.