Heavy rainfall to cause more flooding in north

Rivers in various basins in China are forecast to experience flooding due to heavy rainfall in the coming week, and the risk of local flash floods in some areas is high, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The flood control situation remains severe and complex, Minister Li Guoying said at a meeting on Monday.

The main stream of the Ussuri River in eastern Heilongjiang province had exceeded its flood warning level by 5 am Monday. The river is expected to surpass its safe water level around Wednesday and remain above that level until the end of the month.

Reservoirs such as the Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi will face challenges due to the high sediment content in the floodwaters, Li said, urging targeted prevention measures to be undertaken.

"Greater attention must be given to rivers that have experienced multiple floods this year. It is crucial to recognize that subsequent floods carry higher risks and are more likely to cause incidents compared to earlier floods," Li said.

Additionally, the risk of flash floods in specific areas must not be underestimated simply because they affect smaller regions, he added.

During the concentrated rainfall period from July 21 to Aug 10 this year, the average precipitation in northern China was higher than usual, with five rounds of heavy rainfall, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

During the three-week-long period, 85 national weather stations in China saw record-breaking cumulative rainfall, while daily rainfall records at 24 stations in northern China were also broken, said Ye Menglong, a meteorological analyst at Weather China, a forecasting platform managed by the administration.

Liaoning and Jilin provinces also saw record cumulative rainfall during the period, while the amounts of precipitation in Gansu province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region were the second-highest ever recorded.

Beijing recorded its third-highest rainfall on record, with precipitation in the capital's Huairou district exceeding 600 millimeters.

From July 24 to 28, sustained heavy rainfall was seen in parts of Liaoning, Jilin and other areas due to the influence of Typhoon Gaemi and related storm systems.

The cumulative rainfall in Shenyang and Anshan in Liaoning, as well as Tonghua in Jilin, ranged from 400 to 614 mm.

Though the concentrated rainfall period is coming to a close, this year's rainy season is not ending yet. In the next 10 days, northern China is expected to experience three more rounds of rainfall, with frequent but weakened thunderstorms.

The first round began on Monday and should end on Wednesday, with scattered showers or thunderstorms in regions including northern Hebei province, Beijing and Tianjin.

From Thursday to Sunday, northern China will experience another round of rainfall with weaker intensity, with a third round from Monday to Aug 21, bringing moderate to heavy rain in areas such as eastern North China.

"The probability of strong rainfall in northern China will decrease significantly in the coming period," said Ye, the analyst.

Although there will still be frequent storm systems passing over northern China after mid-August, the absence of cold vortexes and jet streams near the surface will result in significantly reduced intensity, he said.