Plum rain season begins along Yangtze River, bringing flood risks

China's annual plum rain season has officially arrived in the Yangtze River basin, bringing with it heightened risk of torrential rainfall, severe thunderstorms and flooding, weather authorities said.

The plum rain season, which typically falls in June and July, refers to a prolonged stretch of rainy, humid and muggy weather — a period that coincides with the ripening of plums.

Monitoring data from the National Climate Center showed that areas south of the Yangtze River and the middle and lower reaches of the river entered the plum rain season on Thursday, while the region between the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers followed on Friday, marking the full onset of the seasonal weather pattern known for persistent rainfall and frequent and severe convective storms.

Short but heavy downpours, thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds, tornadoes and hail are expected to occur more frequently during this time.

Meteorologists said the frequency and intensity of localized extreme rainfall events have increased in recent years, partly due to climate change, raising the risks of flooding, landslides and urban waterlogging.

The National Meteorological Center on Monday renewed a yellow alert — the second-lowest level in China's four-tier color-coded weather warning system — for rainstorms in the Yangtze River basin. The system ranks red as the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

From Monday morning to Tuesday morning, heavy to torrential rain is forecast in parts of Southwest China, East China, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the Xizang autonomous region.

Some areas in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and Jiangsu could receive 100 to 230 millimeters of rainfall within 24 hours.

Many of the affected regions are also expected to experience severe convective weather, with localized hourly rainfall exceeding 90 millimeters, according to forecasters.

This year's plum rain season arrived later than normal in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but rainfall is expected to be above average in parts of southern China, experts from the National Climate Center said.

Recent episodes of intense rainfall have displayed characteristics of violent plum rains, marked by concentrated downpours capable of triggering flash floods and other disasters, they added.

Over the next 10 days, parts of Anhui province, Hunan, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Guizhou could receive 250 to 350 millimeters of cumulative rainfall.

Prolonged rainfall could increase the risk of flooding in small and medium-sized rivers, mountain torrents and waterlogging in farmland, experts warned. They also urged close monitoring of water levels in Dongting Lake in Hunan province and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, the two major freshwater lakes linked to the Yangtze River.

Meanwhile, northern China is expected to experience frequent showers and thunderstorms in the coming days.

The National Climate Center also issued a blue alert for severe convective weather on Monday morning, warning that parts of Inner Mongolia, Northeast China, North China and areas along the Yangtze River could experience hail and thunderstorms with winds exceeding 62 kilometers per hour.

Wind gusts could reach 89 km/h or more in parts of Inner Mongolia and the provinces of Liaoning and Hebei, forecasters said.

Residents and travelers are advised to remain alert to rapidly changing weather conditions and potential disruptions to transportation and outdoor activities.