Drought in most areas south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China is basically relieved, said the latest climate analysis report from the China Meteorological Administration.  

According to the report, a serious drought lasting from last summer to the first ten days of January had hit a large part of regions south of the Yangtze River and southern China.

Although precipitation after the middle ten days of January partly relieved the drought in these regions, the lack of precipitation from the middle ten days of February to the last ten days of March in the central and southern areas of south China intensified the drought of south China's Guangdong and Hainan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the report.

Since April, especially early May, the increase of precipitation obviously eased the drought in regions south of the Yangtze River and southern China.

The report claimed that by May 30, except for the central and southern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region still experiencing drought to a less or medium extent, most areas south of the Yangtze River saw the end of drought.

The drought in southwestern Yunnan Province, although it had aggravated as a result of little precipitation in February and March, is also relieved as a result of much precipitation in April and May, which was 1.5 to two times more than the precipitation amount of the same period of the average year.

According to the climate tendency forecast offered by Xu Liangyan, a senior researcher with the National Climate Center, the next ten days will see much rain in the eastern part of northwestern China, north China and the winter wheat planting zones in the Yellow River Basin and the Huaihe River Basin.

In parts of these regions, the precipitation will reach 30 to 60 millimeters accompanied by some sharp weather such as thundershowers, strong winds or hail.

"Much rain and lower temperatures will be disadvantageous to the ripeness and harvest of wheat," said Xu.

Moreover, in the next ten days, precipitation in the eastern part of the Sichuan Basin, and southern part south of the Yangtze River will be more than the same period of the average year.

Part of these regions will see their precipitation up to 80 to 160 millimeters, said Xu.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2004)