Gyirong braces for heavy rain as authorities step up disaster response

The weather outlook has direct implications for rescue teams working around the disaster site.

Rain could leave roads slippery along the routes from Shigatse to Gyirong Port, requiring drivers and rescue crews to exercise caution.

Authorities advised rescuers to closely monitor fluctuations in water levels around the disaster area and keep personnel and heavy machinery away from low-lying areas at night.

Since the mudslide disaster occurred in Gyirong county, meteorological authorities have intensified weather observations and deployed artificial intelligence forecasting to closely track changing conditions, said Wang Yawei, spokesman for the China Meteorological Administration.

Meteorological departments at all levels have also established teams on the ground and divided responsibilities for emergency weather services, Wang said.

"We are providing real-time information on weather trends in and around the disaster area, forecasts along transportation routes, aviation weather conditions, rainfall over the barrier lake and weather-related risks from potential secondary disasters," he said.

Meteorological authorities have also begun working with their counterparts in Nepal. "We contacted Nepal's meteorological agency shortly after the disaster and began video consultations on weather conditions.

China has provided Nepal with a customized version of its MAZU intelligent early-warning platform soon after the disaster, which supplies meteorological monitoring, forecasts and early warnings.

The system integrates data from Fengyun meteorological satellites and ground-based observation networks and incorporates artificial intelligence weather forecasting models, providing meteorological support for Nepal's rescue and emergency response efforts, Wang said.

They also plan to expand scientific research on climate change and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, including changes in permafrost, snow cover and glaciers under a warming climate, in an effort to improve scientific support for future disaster prevention and response, he added.