Weather agency issues yellow alert for heavy rains, thunderstorms

The National Meteorological Center renewed its yellow alert for heavy rain and issued a second alert for convective weather and thunderstorms on Monday morning.

From 8 am on Monday to 8 am on Tuesday, Beijing, Tianjin, the northern parts of Hebei, the southeastern parts of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces will be hit by heavy rain and strong winds are expected, the center said.

By Monday morning, heavy rain had closed several sections of highways in Hebei and Shanxi and many flights in Beijing had been canceled, local authorities said.

Zhang Fanghua, the center's chief forecaster, said that the average duration of the rainy season in North China is from July 18 to Aug 18.

"It is common to see heavy rains around this time of year. The end of this round of bout will mark the start of the rainy season this year in North China," she said.

The heavy rainfall in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and other areas is similar to the extreme rains between July 18 and 20 in 2016 that caused urban flooding, mountain torrents, mudslides, landslides and other disasters, she added.

The center said that when a yellow rainstorm warning is issued, traffic management departments should take control measures based on road conditions, and give traffic guidance. Other relevant departments should promptly clear drainage outlets.

It suggested people should not ride bikes or drive in the rain, and should shut off outdoor power sources in low-lying areas, refrain from outdoor activities in open areas and take care around dilapidated or damaged houses.