China: Beijing records highest rainfall in 140 years

Wednesday, August 2, 2023 | 16:32:25

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On August 2, China's Beijing Hydrological Station announced that it had recorded unprecedented rainfall in 140 years as rain continuously poured down on the capital in recent days due to the impact of typhoon Doksuri.

Flooded scene on a street in Beijing, China.

The maximum rainfall measured at Wangjiayuan Reservoir in Changping County was 744.8mm, the highest in 140 years since the agency began collecting statistics.

Typhoon Doksuri has been sweeping across northern China since making landfall in the southern province of Fujian last week. Since July 29, heavy rain has been falling on the capital and surrounding areas, with the amount of rainfall measured in 40 hours being nearly equal to the average rainfall for the entire month of July.

On the afternoon of August 1, the Ministry of Water Resources of China raised the flood emergency response alert to level I, the highest level, in the Haihe River basin due to continuous heavy rains causing the water levels of 16 rivers here to exceed the warning level. By the morning of August 2, the Beijing capital government had lifted the red flood alert as the water flow on major rivers had receded below the warning level.

At least 20 people have died and 13 are still missing after torrential rains and floods hit Beijing and neighboring Hebei province, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Floodwaters have also destroyed roads and uprooted trees.

* As Typhoon Khanun, the sixth typhoon this year in China, is moving northwest toward the East China Sea, the National Meteorological Administration (NMC) on August 2 extended the blue warning for the typhoon.

NMC forecasts that within 24 hours from 8am on August 2, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Hainan provinces will experience heavy rain and thunderstorms. Some places in these areas are likely to record maximum rainfall of over 60mm per hour, wind gusts of over 100km/h and hail. NMC recommends that authorities and residents in the above areas urgently prepare for the storm. Schools should take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of students.

According to hanoimoi.vn

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