Weather tracker: Heavy rain triggers flooding and landslides in parts of China | China
Heavy and prolonged rains in southern and central China have triggered weather warnings of flash floods, landslides and inundation. The slow-moving band of precipitation spanned 620 miles (1,000 km) and moved eastward across the regions on Tuesday. It is formed by the merger of many rain bands coming from the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Given the low wind speeds, daily and hourly rainfall totals as high as 75 mm were recorded locally in Hunan, 85 mm in Anhui in a 24-hour period, and 95 mm on Hainan island. While 12 people lost their lives due to the flood, hundreds of residents were evacuated by emergency services. There were major travel disruptions, power outages, and school and workplace closures. Social media posts showed submerged vehicles and people fishing in flooded streets.
Heat warnings have been issued for Delhi and Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other parts of northern India. Temperatures above 40C (104F) were widely recorded in northern and central India this week. Some parts of northern India experience overnight temperatures 5 degrees above the seasonal daytime average. A maximum temperature of 48.2C was recorded in Banda on Wednesday and 47.6C in the same area on Thursday. Temperatures in Delhi were 44.4C on Wednesday and 45.3C on Thursday.
In rural areas, farmers work at night to avoid the heat during the day. People were advised to stay hydrated throughout the day and stay away from the sun. These temperatures can be attributed to less rainfall during this season. These severe heatwave conditions, with maximum temperatures above 45C, will continue next week and are expected to last until Wednesday, when conditions will become more unstable as storms develop in the north.
