Transport links and water and power supplies in the city of 10 million are severely affected, and some residents are trapped in their homes.

Flooding has killed more than 180 people and caused chaos across China.

Police in neighbouring Anhui province even warned that alligators from a farm there had escaped due to the flooding.

Wuhan`s meteorological office released the red alert on Wednesday. It said to expect wind and rain, and flooding in both urban and rural areas.

Chinese media is reporting that more than 560mm (1.8ft) of rain has fallen over the past week, the heaviest ever in the history of the city, which is on the Yangtze River.

Roads and subway stations were covered with water, and trains cancelled.

Water supplies have been cut off in some areas, and one residential district experienced a complete power black-out, according to local media.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, to oversee relief and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, China`s President Xi Jinping, has ordered the army to step up its relief efforts across the country.

Amid the crisis, official figures for the number of dead have fluctuated. On Wednesday state television put the overall toll at about 170.

Social media is awash with pictures of torrents of water thundering through metro stations, submerged cars and buildings, and firemen rescuing stranded people from across fast-flowing rivers that had previously been residential streets.

Police in Anhui shared a notice from Wuhu County`s tourism bureau, which said that alligators had escaped from a farm due to the flooding. The notice said people were still trying to verify how many alligators had escaped.

It is not the only animal story to have grabbed the public`s attention. On Tuesday a rescue team saved 6,000 pigs who had been stranded at their farm.

Photos of farmers emotionally bidding the animals farewell had been widely shared on social media.

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