Heavy rains continue to batter China’s Guangdong province as forecasters warn more storms are coming
- The main rainbands moved to the southern coast after floods further north killed at least four people and displaced tens of thousands of residents
- Forecasters said the rain would ease over the next one or two days, but warned there would be more storms later in the week
The main rainbands moved south to the coast with the cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Yangjiang experiencing the heaviest rain on Tuesday morning.
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Over a hundred weather observation stations recorded 50mm to 100mm (2-4 inches) of rain in the space of three hours, according to the Guangzhou Meteorological Service.
Previously the worst affected areas were in the north of the province, with floods and landslides displacing more than 110,000 people along the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River.
State news agency Xinhua said the Bei had recorded its highest levels in over 50 years years on Monday, although the floodwaters have now started to recede, according to Guangzhou-based news site dayoo.com.
The National Meteorological Centre said the rain would lessen on Tuesday evening and Wednesday, but warned there would be further storms later in the week which will last until Friday.
Central parts of Shenzhen, which sits on the border with Hong Kong, saw the worst rainfall on Tuesday with the city authorities issuing a red alert, the highest level in the country’s four-tier warning system.
Residents were also warned to be alert to the risk of “waterlogging, flash floods, landslides, mudslides and other disasters that may be caused by heavy rains”.
The Guangdong provincial authorities also warned there was a “high risk of geological hazards during heavy and frequent rainfall”.
The weather took its toll on travel, with some rail services having to reduce their speed during the worst storms. Dozens of flights have also been delayed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the country’s busiest, in recent days, including at least 66 on Tuesday morning.
The meteorological service in the provincial capital Guangzhou said that the past six days had seen the heaviest April rainfall in 10 years.
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It also said that 581.9mm of rain had fallen between the start of the month and Sunday, the worst in 66 years.
It warned residents to brace for further storms and be alert to natural hazards near rivers, slopes and cliffs.
