Heavy rain hits north China

Heavy rain has hit many parts of north China, flooding streets and halting transportation.

Shanxi Province is experiencing its strongest rainfall since the high water season began, with 109 out of 119 cities and counties having seen rain on Tuesday, local authorities said.

Shanxi's capital Taiyuan experienced the heaviest rainfall of this year starting on Monday night, with average precipitation reaching 114.4 mm on Tuesday afternoon. The downpours have flooded the city and caused heavy traffic jams on its major roads. Scores of public buses have been halted, and flights have been delayed.

In neighboring Shaanxi Province, local rail services have been affected, with several trains linking Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia halted or delayed on Tuesday, according to the Xi'an Railway Bureau.

Beijing started to see rainfall on Tuesday morning, and authorities said more downpours are forecast.

Tianjin and Shandong will also see heavy rain from Tuesday night, according to official local forecasts.

More heavy rain is forecast to hit north China in the coming days, said the China Meteorological Administration. The National Meteorological Center has also raised its storm alert from yellow to orange.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The center advised residents to take precautions against possible floods, landslides, mud and rock flows. Endi