Strong rainfall to persist in Central China

Strong rainfall is expected to persist in Central China's Henan province until Thursday, a meteorological expert said during an online news conference on Tuesday.

"Strong rainfall has hit the southwestern region and the central and eastern regions of Henan since 8 am Sunday, with accumulative precipitation levels exceeding 250 millimeters in certain areas of Nanyang, Zhoukou, Xuchang and Kaifeng," said Wei Lu, chief expert at the Henan meteorological service center, adding that the highest accumulative precipitation reached 800.2 mm and the maximum hourly rainfall reached 148.3 mm, all occurring in Sheqi county in Nanyang.

Wei attributed the rainfall process to the interaction between the warm and humid airflow from the southwest and the weak, cold air from the north.

It is expected that strong rainfall will persist in the eastern and southern areas of Henan, mainly in cities such as Shangqiu, Zhoukou, Xuchang, Luohe, Nanyang, Pingdingshan, and Kaifeng, she said.

Some small and medium-sized rivers have experienced rising water levels and waterlogging. Due to the concentrated distribution in affected areas, she warned of the heightened risk of secondary geological disasters such as mountain floods, landslides and debris flows.