Heavy rainfall hit northern parts of China this week, starting on July 20, marking the beginning of rainy season.
In the capital Beijing, meteorological monitoring showed that as the rain stopped on Saturday evening, 73 meteorological stations in the city had more than 100 millimeters of precipitation.
Heavy rain in Haidian District, Beijing, China, July 22, 2023. /CFP
According to the municipal flood control office, the city dispatched or prepared a total of 2,435 teams and more than 110,000 people to deal with the rainfall, and a total of 2,227 households and 5,688 people were evacuated.
Authorities in the neighboring city of Tianjin also ramped up flood control efforts in the Haihe basin, a major northern drainage system.
Water splashes as a car drives through it, Tianjin, China, July 21, 2023. /CFP
Although the rainy season in northern China was delayed a little this year, the level of precipitation is expected to be close to that of past years with a spatial distribution difference, according to Gao Hui, the chief broadcaster at the National Climate Center.
Usually, from late July to early August every year, the eastern rain belt in China moves northward to northern and northeastern China, reaching the northernmost position of the year. During this period, these areas receive concentrated precipitation, and the precipitation within one month may account for one-third of that over the entire year.
Heavy rain in northern China is often considered to be concentrated and intense, because the region is located in the mid-latitude temperate monsoon area, the heavy rain season is concentrated in summer, and special terrain, such as the Taihang Mountains, lifts water vapor and warm-and-humid air.
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