04-08-2025
Beijing Faces More Torrential Rainfall After Deadly Floods
(Bloomberg) -- Beijing is getting drenched by another round of heavy rain, one week after torrential downpours across parts of the Chinese capital unleashed flooding that claimed at least 44 lives.
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.
In Hong Kong, a black rainstorm signal was raised at 11:45 p.m. local time, meaning heavy rain exceeding 70 millimeters in an hour is expected to fall, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Residents were advised to take shelter and avoid traveling as some roads were flooded.
People were also told to stay away from waterways and residents living near rivers were advised to prepare to evacuate if waters rise.
--With assistance from Brian K. Sullivan and Jacob Gu.
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