BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory issued a blue alert Thursday for heavy rain in parts of southern and northeastern China.

From Thursday to Friday, heavy rain is expected to hit parts of provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Jilin, Heilongjiang as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Taiwan, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Thursday.

Some areas in Guangdong and Taiwan will be hit by up to 160 mm of rainfall within 24 hours.

Heavy rain will also be accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds in some of the affected regions, the NMC said.

The center advised local governments to guard against possible flooding, landslides and mudslides and halt outdoor operations.

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