Beijing shuts train lines as rain arrives in China's north

BEIJING: Beijing temporarily shut on Tuesday numerous train lines in the suburban areas around the Chinese capital after issuing an early warning for thunderstorms and flash floods as the country's north braces for stormy weather.

Chinese authorities have placed the country's northern region on high alert for heavy rains since late Monday and agencies have taken measures to counter the impact of heavy rainfall that is moving northwards towards the Sichuan Basin and areas north of the Huai River, state media Xinhua said.

Provincial authorities in central Henan province announced the highest emergency response for flood control in the city of Nanyang early Tuesday to contend with the severe flooding, local media reported. The city sits astride the Bai River, a tributary of the Han River.

Also in Henan, the weather observatory in the city of Shangqiu raised its warning for heavy rain to the highest.

The region where Henan, Shandong and Anhui provinces meet will see particularly heavy rainfall between late Monday and late Tuesday, according to forecasts.

In China's northwestern province of Gansu, Kang county flagged a red alert for rains and warnings of mountain floods and urban flooding as towns get lashed by heavy downpours, with some areas hitting a cumulative precipitation of more than 100mm (3.9 inches).

In the south, a resurgence of floodwater along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, China's longest river, has pushed the areas of the river's drainage basin into a critical period of flood control on Tuesday, Xinhua said.

Authorities have been monitoring and adjusting water discharge from the Three Gorges Dam, which sits on the Yangtze, to help reduce the flood control pressures in Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and other provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the river.

In June, torrential rain, flash floods and landslides across southern China forced authorities to step up emergency plans, as surging waters from swollen rivers threatened to disrupt the lives of millions.