2023-07-29 14:36:00
The rains expected in the next few hours could be even heavier than those of July 2012, which caused the death of 79 people.
By MP with AFP These storms occur at a time when at the other end of the country Typhoon Doksuri continues to progress. It caused significant material damage in the south-east of the country on Friday, with gusts of up to 175 km / h. Its intensity has since diminished. © WEI PEIQUAN / XINHUA / Xinhua via AFP Published on 07/29/2023 at 14:36
China placed part of the country on red alert on Saturday, including Beijing and its region, awaiting torrential rains, in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri which is raging at the other end of the country. Doksuri, which has been sweeping southeastern China since Friday, is moving north where its “influence” is already being felt, according to the Chinese meteorological service.
The red alert, in effect from 8 p.m. locally (12 p.m. GMT), includes a vast area of several hundred million inhabitants, which includes Beijing, the neighboring metropolis of Tianjin, the bordering provinces of Hebei (North) and Shandong (East) as well as part of Henan (Centre) and Shanxi (North).
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This is the first time since 2011 that such an alert for torrential rains has been triggered, according to local media. It could locally fall more than 60 cm of precipitation, warned the weather services.
In Beijing, several iconic city parks, lakes and riverbank lanes were closed on Saturday for fear of flooding, the municipality said. On Saturday afternoon, heavy downpours briefly fell in several parts of Beijing.
According to local media, the rains expected in the next few hours could be even heavier than those of July 2012, which caused the death of 79 people during historic floods.
Uprooted trees, muddy waters
This bad weather comes at a time when, at the other end of the country, Typhoon Doksuri continues to progress. It caused significant material damage in the south-east of the country on Friday, with gusts of up to 175 km / h. Its intensity has since diminished.
National television showed images of trees strewn across roads, while residential areas were hemmed in by large expanses of muddy water.
In Fuzhou (southeast), the authorities on Saturday ordered residents not to leave their homes unless necessary. Public transport has also been suspended in this city located opposite Taiwan.
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China has been facing extreme weather and locally unusual temperatures in recent months, exacerbated by climate change, scientists say.
In early July, Beijing and its region had broken temperature records with locally over 40°C. Extreme weather events (cyclones, heat waves, floods, droughts, etc.) are natural phenomena.
But global warming caused by human-generated greenhouse gas emissions is increasing their magnitude and frequency, experts say.
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