Floods above warning levels affect 118 rivers nationwide

Original headline: Since the start of the flood season, 118 rivers nationwide have seen floods above warning levels

Major floods may occur on the Yangtze, Songhua, Huai and Xijiang rivers

Since the start of the flood season, 118 rivers nationwide have seen floods above warning levels

The Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported on the 24th that since the start of the flood season, a total of 118 rivers nationwide have seen floods above warning levels, the most for the same period in the past 5 years.

The report shows that since the start of the flood season, the national average precipitation has been 130 mm, 23% more than normal, ranking 2nd since 1961. Among them, northern Gansu, northwestern Inner Mongolia and central Jilin received more than 1 times the normal amount, while parts of Jiangnan, South China, Southwest China, Northwest China and Northeast China received 30% to 1 times more. Jianghuai, Jiangnan, South China and Southwest China experienced 14 consecutive episodes of moving heavy precipitation.

Affected by heavy rainfall, 118 rivers including the Xiangjiang in Hunan, the Ganjiang in Jiangxi, the Beijiang in Guangdong, the Guijiang in Guangxi and the Minjiang in Fujian have seen floods above warning levels, the most for the same period in the past 5 years. Runoff in most rivers in the south is clearly above normal, with the Yangtze 40% to 50% above normal, the Xiangjiang in the Dongting Lake system and the Ganjiang in the Poyang Lake system 60% and 80% above normal respectively, and the Xijiang 70% above normal. At present, water levels of the Yangtze, Huaihe, Xijiang and Taihu are 0.32 to 3.71 m higher than normal, among which the main stream of the middle and lower Yangtze and Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake are 2.49 to 3.26 m higher, all higher than the same period in 1998, but all below the warning level.

According to forecasts by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, precipitation in China during this year's flood season will be generally above normal, major floods may occur on the Yangtze, Songhua, Huaihe and Xijiang rivers, and floods on other major rivers cannot be ruled out, while relatively severe drought may occur in North China and southeastern South China. (Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 24 - Reporter Lin Hui)