Schools shut, residents warned as Beijing faces another round of heavy rain
The city's meteorological service elevated its rainstorm warning signal to red at 1 p.m. local time on Monday, the highest alert in a tri-colored system, up from orange earlier in the day. Some places could get more than 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) over six hours, raising the risk of landslides, the forecaster said.
The heaviest precipitation is expected to start at 6 p.m. and extend through dawn on Tuesday morning, according to the China Meteorological Administration. A collision of low pressure up in the atmosphere with another region of high pressure is triggering the heavy rain, the national weather agency said.
The deluge threatens another round of flash flooding, particularly in the hard-hit mountainous suburban areas due to saturated ground. Across the Beijing area, the soil is over-saturated up to a depth of 50 millimeters following rain last week, according to government data.
Authorities urged residents not to venture outside unless necessary, and schools suspended in-person classes, according to a city government statement.
Other areas of China's north, including Hebei and Tianjin, are predicted to see heavy rainfall through Tuesday afternoon. The southern Chinese coast, affected by the southwest monsoon, is also getting a drenching.
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