Threat of floods remains after peak season ends

China faces continued flood risks even though the peak flood season has ended, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Monday, warning that the possibility of extreme weather events remains.

The peak typically runs from July 16 to Aug 15, according to the ministry.

China Central Television reported that the ministry said above-average rainfall is expected nationwide through the end of August and September. Typhoons may form in the northwest Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, with some making landfall or affecting China.

On Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for heavy rain, the lowest level in its four-tier warning system.

The center forecast that through Saturday, a mix of warm, moist air and cold air will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to northern China, along with strong winds and hail.

"From Wednesday to Friday, the intense and localized nature of the precipitation raises the risk of small-scale severe rainfall," said Xu Jun, the center's chief forecaster.

The likelihood of flash flooding is particularly high in parts of Shanxi, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, Xu added.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Tuesday initiated a Level IV emergency response, the lowest level, for flood control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Two working groups were dispatched to Hebei province and Beijing to assist and guide flood prevention efforts.

During the peak season this year, scattered torrential rains and flooding occurred simultaneously across the country, which the ministry described as extreme and highly destructive.

A total of 330 rivers nationwide saw water levels exceed warning thresholds, and 22 rivers experienced their largest floods on record, the ministry said.

From July 23 to 29, Liudaohe town in Hebei province's Xinglong county and Dachengzi town in Beijing's Miyun district recorded rainfall totals nearing their annual averages, said Yao Wenguang, head of the ministry's department of flood and drought disaster prevention, according to Xinhua News Agency.

He was quoted by CCTV as saying the overall flood situation has been more severe in northern China than in the south. In July, the Haihe River Basin saw regional major flooding, with rivers such as Beijing's Chaobai River and Tianjin's Jiyun River tributary recording their largest floods since measurements began.

In response, the ministry used advanced forecasting technologies, issuing more than 170,000 flood forecasts and managing about 1,300 reservoirs, which helped more than 1 million people avoid having to relocate, Xinhua reported.

lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn