BEIJING -- China's meteorological authority issued a blue alert on Thursday for heavy rain in the south of the country over the next few days.

Storms are expected to hit parts of Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang, with up to 180 millimeters of rain anticipated, according to the National Meteorological Center. Some of these areas will also see thunderstorms and gales.

Central and eastern parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will also see rainy weather over the next 24 hours.

In contrast, scorching weather will continue in the country's northern regions. Parts of Beijing, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning and Tianjin will see maximum temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius.

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