China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Tuesday raised its emergency response for flood control from Level III to Level II, as heavy rainfall is expected to continue across vast stretches of the country.

The authorities have also activated a Level IV emergency response to Typhoon Higos, which is expected to hit coastal areas in south China’s Guangdong Province on Wednesday.

A tropical depression in the northeast of the South China Sea intensified into a typhoon around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the meteorological department in Hainan Province.

Hainan's emergency management department has issued a typhoon alert, warning that fishing boats and other vessels should return to harbor.

On Monday, China's Yangtze River saw its fifth flood peak of the year on its upper reaches after heavy rainfall led to rising water levels in its trunk streams.