Heat wave to linger in south China
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Xinhua, August 21, 2011
The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast Sunday that scorching weather will linger in the south and rains will sweep the western and central regions over the next three days.
Heavy rains are expected to pound western China and eastern parts of central China within the following 24 hours, the NMC said.
Thunderstorms and gales will hit parts of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, it said.
Heavy rains have already lashed parts of Sichuan Province, triggering mudslides that have cut off roads and blocked rivers.
Rain-triggered mudslides have interrupted traffic on National Highway 213 in eight sections near the town of Yingxiu, the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
The weather bureau in the southwestern Guizhou Province has predicted moderate to heavy rain in most areas Monday through Thursday, and warned of landslides and mud-rock flows.
Yet meteorologists warn the rainfall will not be sufficient to ease the persisting drought that has caused water shortages for more than 4.4 million people in 84 of all 88 counties in Guizhou.
Aggravating drought has also resulted in a hydropower shortage in the province as water levels in reservoirs fell to a record low.
Drought is also plaguing the southwestern Chongqing municipality and Yunnan Province, according to reports from the local weather bureaus.
A total of 26 counties have been hit by drought in Chongqing, with 149,713 hectares of farmland affected and 613,000 people short of drinking water.
Meanwhile, Qujing city of Yunnan Province is suffering the worst summer drought since records began in 1961. Altogether 2.8 million people are suffering water scarcity in nine counties and at least 2,500 hectares of farmland are grainless.
According to the NMC, in most parts of the southwestern Guizhou, Sichuan provinces and Chongqing municipality, the high temperature will hover at 37 to 39 degrees Celsius.
The high temperature in the northern part of Chongqing and southeastern areas of the Sichuan Basin will exceed 40 degrees Celsius, said a statement on the NMC website.
In the eastern Zhejiang Province, the high temperature in some areas has also exceeded 39 degrees, forcing the government of the capital city of Hangzhou to demand suspension of high-energy-consuming businesses and tighten control over the use of air-conditioners in office buildings, shopping malls and supermarkets.
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