Mainland braces for more heat after heavy flooding

Heavy flooding has displaced thousands of people around China as the capital had a relative respite from sweltering heat, which is expected to rise again this week.

Beijing reported 9.8 straight days when the temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, the National Climate Center said yesterday. Such a streak was last recorded in 1961.

A lack of rainfall may be contributing to the heat, with the typically dry capital receiving even less than usual this year.

While temperatures have since moderated - yesterday's temperature at midday was 33 degrees - they are expected to rise again this week to as high as 39.6 degrees in Beijing and other parts of the country, authorities said. The hot weather is forecast to last for another 10 days, as exasperated people posted their frustration on social media.

"I can't even cry as my tears evaporate," one person posted.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 people were urgently moved to safety due to flooding in the central province of Hunan, the Xiangxi Emergency Management Bureau said on Sunday.

Around 70 houses collapsed, 2,283 were damaged and farm fields were flooded. Losses so far have been estimated at least 575 million yuan (HK$621.7 million).

Over the weekend, torrential rain triggered flash floods in northern China, killing one person and sweeping away two in the Inner Mongolia region, state media reported. In Shaanxi province's Zhenba county, authorities reported the worst flooding in 50 years had washed out roads and damaged homes.

Hailstorms in Heilongjiang province shattered windows, according to videos posted on social media. And in the southwest, intense rain lashed parts of Yunnan province, sweeping cars down streets that looked like rivers, media reported. Mudslides in Sichuan province killed several people last week.

Eleven provinces - around half of China's land area - were expected to received heavy rains in coming days, mainly in the humid south.