Northern China on rainstorm red alert

According to the forecasting service, Beijing will receive heavy downpours till Tuesday night, with its western and southern areas being battered by "extraordinary rainstorms".

The city's flood control headquarters issued a Level-I emergency response for flooding at 7 pm on Saturday and advised nine key measures to avoid incidents.

All scenic spots, parks and forestry farms as well as guesthouses in Beijing were directed to close down, residents were advised to stay indoors and work from home, and schools were ordered to suspend offline classes and outdoor events.

The precipitation in Beijing this time has the potential to break records, local weather authorities said. The intensity of precipitation will decrease from Wednesday, when the city is expected to see light or moderate rainfall.

In Hebei, the province's meteorological service said that several cities, including Shijiazhuang, Langfang and Baoding, are expected to see "extraordinary rainstorms" on Monday, and the accumulated precipitation in some places could top 600 millimeters.

In Fujian, over 1.45 million people were affected by the typhoon and more than 360,000 residents had been evacuated as of Saturday night.

Hu Meidong in Fuzhou contributed to this story.