May 9, 2023
BEIJING – China is bracing for a tough flood season this year, with the National Climate Center predicting further extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall.
The season this year started in May and runs through September, the center said.
The southern parts of China, especially Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, have borne the brunt of rainstorms so far this month, the National Meteorological Center said.
Sun Jun, chief forecaster of the NMC, said that precipitation in some southern areas of China has set records for daily rainfall in May.
Sun said that rainfall has covered a wide area and has been of strong intensity.
He said that such heavy rainfall usually occurs in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in June and July, but this year the rainfall has begun earlier than usual.
In Jiangxi province, about 14,000 people had been evacuated due to flooding between Friday and Sunday afternoon, local authorities said on Sunday.
China Central Television reported on Sunday that in Fujian province, flooding resulted from rainwater accumulating in urban areas and from the rising levels of rivers. In the city of Shaowu, more than 70 schools suspended classes. In addition, local workers have been organized to inspect for and eliminate risks in areas that are vulnerable to geological disasters, CCTV reported.
Rain is expected to continue in South Chinafrom Tuesday through May 14, the NMC said.
Moderate rain is expected to occur in most parts of South China, and heavy rainstorms are forecast for some parts of South China over that period, the center said.
Elsewhere, in the Tibet autonomous region and Gansu and Qinghai provinces, moderate rain is forecast for a wide area from Tuesday through Thursday. In high-altitude mountainous areas, snow or blizzards are likely, the center said.