More droughts, floods expected in China June to Aug

China's National Climate Center said on Thursday that from June to August, China will have obvious regional and periodic droughts and floods. Extreme weather events during this major flood season that started on June 1 will be more frequent as parts of regions in both the south and north are bracing for heavy rain.

Flooding is expected in the regions of the Yangtze, Yellow, Songhua and Haihe rivers. The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region may have droughts, the center said. 

From June 4 to 13, most parts in South and Southwest China will have 30 to 70 percent more precipitation than in normal years. Temperatures in most regions in North and Northwest China will be 1 to 2 C higher, the China Meteorological Administration said.

In May, East China has had more rainstorms. Seven provinces including Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang and Shanghai experienced 50 percent more precipitation than in normal years, the second-highest level since 1961, the administration said. 

Wang Zhihua, spokesman for the administration, said that compared with the same period last year, they had released 77 percent more severe weather alarms and 50 percent more heavy rain alerts in May.

"The alarms have served disaster prevention and damage reduction well. They also played an effective role in disaster relief organization by local authorities," he said. 

He warned that people should closely follow the updating climate and weather forecast report and take proper prevention measures.