(July 7): China’s central and southern regions have been lashed by heavy rain that’s led to deaths and crop damage, with more extreme weather expected later this week from a strong typhoon heading toward the country’s east.
At least 15 people have been killed in the provinces of Hubei and Guangxi, with thousands forced to evacuate, according to China Central Television, which cited local officials. The slow dissipation of Tropical Storm Maysak over land and its channelling of moist monsoonal air from the south have been a key driver of the rain and flooding, meteorologist Ye Menglong told China Weather Network.
Torrential rain has battered Guangxi’s capital Nanning since July 4, and Xinhua News Agency reported a dam breach at the Liulan reservoir on Monday morning, which prompted the city to raise its emergency response for flood control to the highest level. Downpours across the province have led to power outages for more than 59,000 people, according to China Electric Power News.
Guangxi’s hydrological centre upgraded its flood warning to the most severe level on Tuesday morning for eight cities, including Nanning and the tourist haven of Guilin. The extreme weather has forced about 48,000 people in the province to evacuate, according to CCTV, which also reported a landslide in Gansu province that buried 33 people. Half of those were rescued.
The stormy conditions threaten to submerge rice, corn and vegetable crops; damage fruit orchards; exacerbate waterlogging in farmland; and cause losses at aquaculture farms as ponds overflow, the National Meteorological Center said in its latest agricultural weather bulletin. There have already been reports of damaged crops and farm facilities in Guizhou and Yunnan, it added.
Super Typhoon Bavi
See also: China's central bank unveils measures to cement Hong Kong status as yuan hub
Later this week, eastern China will face strong winds and heavy rain from Super Typhoon Bavi. The system — equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane — is currently churning in the Philippine Sea after striking the US territorial island of Rota near Guam and is forecast to cross the Chinese coast on Saturday.
The outlook for China is for more torrential rain in coming weeks, with July and August set for some significant downpours, the National Climate Center said in a bulletin published on Sunday. Swathes of southern China, including Guangdong and Guangxi, are forecast to see rainfall up to 50% above normal during that period, the centre said.
Northern China’s rainy season is set to begin earlier than its usual July 18th onset and is likely to be wetter than average.
Uploaded by Arion Yeow
