Beijing was hit by heavy rains during Friday morning's rush hour, with the rain stopping just in time for a grand rally marking the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which started at 10 a.m.

Beijing was drenched in downpour Friday morning, and the weather bureau forecast heavy rain will continue in the coming 12 hours.

The downpour stopped in downtown Beijing around 9:30 a.m., although the sky remained dark, suggesting more rain to come. The local weather bureau has forecasted more heavy rains over the next 12 hours, with average precipitation topping 50 mm.

The weather bureau issued a yellow alert for thunder and lightning at 6:05 a.m. and a blue alert for torrential rains at 7:50 a.m.

Meteorologists have also warned citizens to watch out for floods and other possible disasters in the city's mountainous suburbs.

The downpour began shortly after 7 a.m., drenching crowds of people on their way to work.

The rainfall came just a week after an even heavier downpour that paralyzed Beijing's traffic, drenched its streets and flooded several subway stations on June 23.

Many areas of the country have been hit by heavy rains in the month since China's flood season began, easing droughts in the country's western region.

The provincial weather bureau of northwest China's Shaanxi Province has forecasted heavy rains for the region from July 1 to 4. Precipitation is expected to hit 100 mm in northern Shaanxi, and the weather bureau has warned of possible floods and landslides in the province's central and southern areas.

Most parts of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region are expecting rain from July 1 to 5. The rains are predicted to help ease a persistent drought that has been affecting the region since November last year.