A morning downpour cooled down a week-long sauna weather in the national capital Friday, when the daily high temperature dropped to 25 degree Celsius, said the Beijing Meteorological Station.

A morning downpour cooled down a week-long sauna weather in the national capital Friday, when the daily high temperature dropped to 25 degree Celsius, said the Beijing Meteorological Station.

Zhang Mingying, senior engineer of the station, said that rainfall would continue to the evening, which is the longest and most extensive of its kind in Beijing since the city entered summer season in May.

The Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications said the downpour and an accident in the No. 1 Line subway caused difficulties in the public transport and road congestion Friday morning.

The No. 1 Line and Batong Line subways suspended operation, after a person, whose identity was not known yet, jumped onto the tracks of the No. 1 Line subway at 8:25 a.m., said the Beijing Subway Company.

Some 1,000 people were stranded at the Sihui East Station on the No. 1 Line.

An official with the committee declined to be named said many car owners give up driving in raining days, and choose the public transport, which is often under heavier pressure in bad weather than normal days and the accident on the No. 1 Line added the pressure.

The weather station forecast the weather will turn clear on Saturday with the daily high temperature rising to 33 degree Celsius.

Beijing's annual flood season usually starts on July 20 and ends on August 10.

Wang Yi, chief engineer of the Beijing Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said that Beijing is basically a city thirst for rains.

"Beijing is likely to have downpours with precipitation of 70 millimeters per hour after the middle of July. The headquarters have made preparations for flood control in such extreme weather," he said.

He said the headquarters have installed 85 video monitors in low-lying spots and mobilized a team of 250,000 workers for the flood control work.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)