flood china
At least 63 people have been killed or are missing and almost 500,000 have been evacuated as downpours continue to batter southern parts of the country, unleashing wide-ranging floods, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

As of Monday, almost 8.5 million people in 24 provincial regions have suffered rain-triggered floods, which also caused direct economic losses of some 20.7 billion yuan (S$4 billion), it said.

The flood control situation remains grim as the national observatory renewed a blue alert-the lowest in a four-tier color-coded weather warning system-for rainstorms at 10 am Monday.

For the 24 hours starting at 2 pm Monday, heavy rain and rainstorms are forecast in some areas, including Zhejiang, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, the National Meteorological Centre said.



The maximum hourly precipitation in these areas is expected to exceed 7 centimetres.

Local authorities should remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides caused by heavy rains, and outdoor operations should be halted in hazardous areas.

Chen Tao, chief forecaster with the National Meteorological Centre, said the new round of rainfall is expected to last until Thursday, and the maximum accumulated precipitation could be up to 40 centimetres.

"The heaviest precipitation occur at the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River will be long-lasting with high intensity," he said, adding much of the rainfall will occur at night.

flood china
The new round of precipitation, which is characterised by strong winds, hail, thunderstorms and will engulf some areas, which will increase flood hazards, he said.

The new rainfall, for example, will envelop some of the areas that had been stricken by two rounds of precipitation in Henan, according to Henan Meteorological Administration.

Previously, areas along and south of the Yellow River had received accumulated precipitation of over 5 centimetres since June 9, it said.

Chen said, however, the coming rain will greatly relieve the drought in areas between the Yellow River and Huaihe River and Shaanxi province.

The country will confront a grim flood control situation during this rainy season with higher precipitation than normal years, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

As of Thursday, the accumulated precipitation across the country this year has been 6 per cent more than the same period in recent years.

Meanwhile, 148 rivers have been stricken by floods that raised water above their warning levels, the ministry said in a media release.