Pearl, Yangtze river basins face heightened flood risks in July

BEIJING -- China's meteorological authorities on Thursday warned that flood risks are expected to be elevated in major river basins, including the Pearl River, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Haihe River, and the Songhua and Liaohe rivers in July.

"Precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, South China and Northeast China is expected to be significantly above normal in early July," Huang Zhuo, deputy director of the National Meteorological Center, said at a news conference.

He warned that heavy rainfall could trigger mountain torrents, geological disasters, flooding in small and medium-sized rivers, urban waterlogging and farmland inundation, calling for heightened vigilance.

Meanwhile, two to three typhoons are expected to make landfall in or affect China's coastal regions in July, with a risk of also impacting northern parts of the country.

Moreover, temperatures are expected to remain above normal across many parts of China, with four rounds of heatwaves forecast during the month. Huang advised the public to closely follow heat alerts and take protective measures.