40 flights canceled as heavy rains batter Beijing
As of 3:30 pm on Monday, the average precipitation in the district reached 320.8 millimeters. A weather station on Miaofeng Mountain recorded the maximum rainfall — 580.9 mm.
More than 52,000 Beijing residents were relocated by Monday evening and all tourist attractions closed down to avoid potential risks, city authorities said.
A video uploaded by local media showed snapped tree branches and damaged cars, left behind by receding floodwaters, swamping riverbanks in Mentougou, which by Monday afternoon had evacuated 5,000 people.
Fangshan district also grappled with serious flooding. To curb the rising river levels, 2,000 police personnel were dispatched to help build dams.
Beijing received average rainfall of 170.9 mm in 40 hours, starting on Saturday night, which is equivalent to the city's average total rainfall for the month of July, official data showed.
