Weather anomalies hit China
After a rare convergence of record rainfall, heatwaves, and a tornado
in the southern megacity of Guangzhou that displaced millions of
people, damaged property and swamped farmland, more storms
and floods are on the way for China (
https://bit.ly/3HG1IkM).
The country's south is expected to see torrential rain until Tuesday,
state media reported, with no immediate reprieve to the region
inundated by downpours in the past week.
At least seven southern provinces and regions have issued alerts
for severe storms and floods for the next 24 hours.
Authorities had issued warnings of "extreme weather events" as early
as April, ahead of the rainy season that signals the seasonal
transition from spring to summer in June.
China is historically prone to floods, triggering landslides and
swamping many acres of farmland.
In recent times, the country has grown even more vulnerable, owing
to deforestation, the reclamation of wetlands and the storage of
water for power generation and irrigation.
China also blames climate change for the increase in extreme weather
events.
The aviation regulator on Friday cautioned airlines against flying
through extreme weather, with severe convection storms to be expected
over the summer.
"Weather conditions in China will tend to be unfavourable this
summer," an official said on Friday.
Late on Thursday, a tornado ripped through parts of Guangzhou during
a heavy rainstorm, local media reported, cutting off power supply to
over 5,400 users in the sprawling capital of southern Guangdong
province.
Local media reported dangerous water levels, with high waves in the
broader Pearl River Basin, prompting the central government to
dispatch flood prevention workers.
Since May, precipitation in the basin a vast river system
encompassing Guangdong and parts of Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hunan,
Guizhou and Yunnan provinces has risen to its highest since 1961,
state media reported citing the National Climate Centre.
In Fujian province north of the basin, authorities warned that recent
record-breaking rainfall would persist into next week, posing a high
risk of natural disasters.
Meanwhile, temperatures in central and northern China are expected
to hit unusual highs into next week, surpassing 40 degrees Celsius
(104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The abnormally warm weather has already hit Zhengzhou, the capital
of central Henan province hit by record rainfall and paralysed by
devastating floods last summer.
