Heavy rains were forecast for most parts of rain-drenched southern China
over upcoming 10 days, and some regions would probably hit by torrential rains,
strong gales and thunderstorms, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said
today.
Precipitation in most of southwestern provinces, including Guizhou, Sichuan
and Yunan, would be 30 percent to 70 percent more than that of last year's same
period, the CMA said.
Downpours would raise river levels even higher, inundate many regions along
the Pearl River and cause a major flood at the Xijiang River, the Office of the
State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned.
The level of Xijiang River, the western tributary of Pearl River flowing
through Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong, had surpassed the alert levels in many
sections. It was 4.89 meters above the warning level in the Wuzhou monitoring
site at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to the headquarters.
The rainstorm-triggered floods had forced more than 1.27 million people to
flee their home, with 55 people dead and seven missing in nine provinces
including Hubei, Guangdong and Guizhou as of 9 pm yesterday.
