Northern China braces for torrential rains

Multiple weather warnings have been issued and emergency responses activated as several parts of northern and northeastern China brace for a period of heavy rainstorms, starting on Wednesday, after torrential downpours wreaked havoc in southwestern and central regions of the country earlier this week.

The National Meteorological Center upgraded its blue alert for rainstorms to a yellow alert on Wednesday, warning of heavy rainfall in Beijing, Tianjin and parts of Hebei and Shanxi provinces from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening. Some places are expected to face strong winds and receive 100 to 160 millimeters of rainfall per hour, it warned.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The Beijing municipal flood control and meteorological departments jointly issued an alert for waterlogging, warning of potential flooding in several districts of the Chinese capital. Residents have been urged to avoid low-lying areas such as underpasses, subways, underground shopping malls and parking garages, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A separate alert for geological disasters has also been issued, highlighting the risks of landslides and collapses in certain areas of Beijing. To combat potential risks, several train services from the Chinese capital will be suspended on Thursday, according to Beijing Subway.

Meanwhile, central and southwestern China continue to grapple with the aftermath of heavy rainstorms. Torrential downpours in Henan province since Monday claimed five lives in Xixia county, where flash floods have damaged critical infrastructure and affected more than 7,300 residents. Three people were still missing as of Tuesday night, according to local authorities.

Li Xiao, a resident of Songshumen village in Xixia county, told a local news platform that the flash floods rapidly inundated her courtyard on Monday night, "leaving little time to react". Li added that the worst seemed to be over, and life was gradually returning to normal.

The town of Taiping was among the hardest-hit areas in the county, where local authorities were forced to announce temporary closure of Laojieling Mountain Park on Tuesday.

"The sudden flash floods prompted a Level IV emergency response from the county, and efforts to restore power, transportation and communication networks were launched," said Ma Xiaolin, Party secretary of Taiping.

While restoration work progresses in Henan, parts of the Sichuan Basin — comprising an area of eastern Sichuan province and western parts of Chongqing — are still expected to experience torrential rainfall, with precipitation of up to 180 mm, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Vast swaths of northern and northeastern China are also bracing for heavy rainstorms. Chen Tao, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Center, warned of flash floods, urban waterlogging and landslides triggered by intense short-term rainfall in these regions.

While Beijing activated a Level IV emergency response to flooding, the lowest of the four emergency response tiers, the Binhai New Area Meteorological Office in Tianjin issued an orange alert for hail on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the China Weather Network, there will be no respite from sweltering heat despite the rainstorms, with daytime temperatures expected to hover around 35 C in many parts of the country and high humidity adding to the discomfort.

"The heat wave will be widespread, severe and long-lasting," said Sun Qianqian, a meteorologist at the China Weather Network.

Yang Cheng in Beijing, Yan Dongjie in Tianjin and Qi Xin in Zhengzhou contributed to this story.