A sudden torrential rain pummeled Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, on Saturday, flooding streets and causing major problems at the city's airport.

The China News Agency reported that it was like dark night on Saturday afternoon in Guangzhou as a two-hour downpour hit the city accompanied by thunderclaps.

The sudden rain interrupted service at Baiyun Airport where a total of 16 flights to Guangzhou were forced to land at the airports of other cities and more than 20 flights from Guangzhou were delayed.

But the rain brought profit to some people.

The taxies in Guangzhou were so busy that it took one passenger more than an hour to hail one.

Heavy rains in many other parts of China over the weekend were caused by Fengshen, the ninth tropical storm of the season, which moved in from Japan.

Stormy weather with strong gales of force 6 to 7 covered Qingdao, Weihai and parts of other coastal cities in Shandong Province since late Saturday night.

Thanks to accurate weather broadcasts and adequate precautions adopted by local governments, the storm did not have any serious destructive impact on the area, local sources said.

Sources with the local weather broadcast stations said that Fengshen has become weaker and weaker as it moves to the northwest.

Rain also hit Beijing over the weekend, caused in part by the dregs of Fengshen, although its influence was quite limited, said Zhang Mingying with the Beijing Meteorological Observatory.

( China Daily July 29, 2002)