Heavy rain hits Beijing again

Yesterday afternoon, rainfall caused streets to flood and traffic jams in major roads to slow down to a crawling pace in Beijing. The sky darkened as the susurrus of a drizzle became a roaring downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. Vehicles halted and available taxis grew scarce, while cyclists and pedestrians made use of umbrellas and raincoats in order to travel around the city.

Heavy rainstorms and dim overcast skies have been looming over Beijing for the past twenty days. Sunny days have been very rare. Experts say that at this point in the summer, Beijing is in the peak of its rainy season.

According to Xinhua, the municipal weather service reported that the heaviest rainstorm of the year hit Beijing on July 31, 2009, from Thursday night through early Friday, an average rainfall of 20 mm was seen, but 33 mm in downtown areas. Tian'anmen Square, the heart of Beijing, was believed to have the biggest rainfall of 116 mm.

Rainstorms with a rainfall of 100 mm are quite normal to Beijing, which is now at a prime flood season.

Video: Qu Baoyu | Editor: Ren Cong