A rainstorm hit Guangzhou, provincial capital of Guangdong, yesterday morning, reducing visibility in urban areas to less than 100 meters and triggering avalanches of mud and rock, the day before a top meteorologist warned of a summer of severe drought and floods.
   
"China may face a grim situation from seasonal floods and drought this year with potential damage worse than that of last year," the China Meteorological Administration's Qin Dahe told a televised conference in Beijing today.

"There will be much fear of a bad harvest this year if more disasters occur in the following months," he said, calling for early preparedness across the country as the flood season approaches.

Guangdong saw a large amount of rain during the weeklong May Day holiday that culminated in storms in central parts in which another 37.5 mm of rain fell on Sunday and Monday, according to Guangzhou's meteorological observatory.

The rainy season has also started in many other parts of south China, and the start of the national major flood season is due.

"From June to August, two massive rain belts are predicted south along the Yangtze and north on the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River," said Qin.

The northern rain belt is likely to cover the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and southern parts of northeast China.

The southern one is expected over the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, vast areas between the Huaihe and Yangtze, and regions south of the Yangtze with likely flooding for the middle and lower reaches.

Meanwhile, prolonged drought may affect the rest of the country with less rainfall expected in many areas, "particularly northeastern Sichuan Province and western parts of the Tibet Autonomous Region," said Qin.

Another hot summer has been forecast, particularly on the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and along southeast China's coastal areas.

So far this year, temperatures in eastern parts have been lower than average with more rainfall in most of the south.

Most of the west and northeast, as well as parts of Guangdong and Hainan provinces, have been plunged into the worst drought in 50 years due to a rapid rise in temperature.

Provinces in central, east, south and southwest China have been hit recently by rain and thunderstorms. Five people were stuck by lightning and killed during the May Day holidays. Gales and hailstorms struck other areas.

Hazards like mud-rock landslides caused by heavy and prolonged rain have caused casualties and considerable loss of crops and property worth millions of yuan in Sichuan and Chongqing.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily May 10, 2005)