China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) has issued a yellow-coded heat alert for Sunday, warning a heatwave will continue in many parts of China for the next three days.

China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) has issued a yellow-coded heat alert.

Maximum temperatures will climb to 35 to 37 degrees Celsius from Sunday to Tuesday in most areas south of the Yangtze River, including the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong, according to weather forecast released by NMC at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Some areas in the country's northern regions, including Beijing, Hebei and Shanxi, together with Shandong and Anhui provinces in the east, would also swelter from Sunday, it said.

Hot weather will continue in eastern parts of Guizhou Province, most parts of Chongqing and the northeast Sichuan Basin, according to the NMC.

Parts of those regions will see the mercury rise to 38 to 40 degrees Celsius, according to the NMC forecast.

China has a four-color heat warning system, with red being the most serious and followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Under a yellow alert, people are advised to reduce outdoor activities in the afternoon and employers should take precautionary measures to protect their staff from heatstroke if they work outdoors for long.

The NMC issued a blue alert for southern China on Saturday.

The NMC urged authorities to take fire prevention measures and warned the public about the dangers of heatstroke.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2010)