El Nino brings heavy rain to Southern China

World Today

Intense rain has caused major flooding in cities across Southern China. Forecasters now say the rainstorms are likely to continue for the next few months.

Experts are blaming the harsh weather the El Nino phenomenon. CCTV’s Li Na reports.

South China’s Guangzhou region has been badly affected by the torrential rain, receiving a citywide average of 47 mm (almost 2 inches). The Panyu district recorded 165 mm (6.5 inches) in less than 24 hours.

Since March, South China has seen at least 12 rounds of heavy rain.

There are concerns that the flooding will follow a similar pattern to that which occurred during the last major El Nino in 1997-1998.

At the time, torrential rain and flooding, which began in June and lasted for more than two months, resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people, and affected 220 million across 24 provinces.

Currently, river levels in the south are at record levels for this time of year.

Many sections of the Yangtze River, Asia’s longest river, are up to 4.1 meters (13 feet) higher than normal – higher than at the same time in 1998.