BEIJING - China's meteorological and water resource authorities on Thursday evening issued an orange alert for mountain torrents, as heavy downpours are expected to lash parts of the country through Friday.

Between 8 pm Thursday and 8 pm Friday, there is a high risk of mountain torrents in southwestern parts of Shaanxi, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

The two agencies also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in parts of Southwest China's Sichuan province, and in Shaanxi and Gansu in the Northwest of the country.

Central authorities have warned that temporary heavy downpours could also provoke mountain torrents in other areas, and called on local authorities to strengthen real-time monitoring, issue timely flood alerts, and implement preventive measures to mitigate risks.

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