Extreme weather events surge as rain belts shift northward and westward in China

Extreme weather events that "break past patterns and challenge traditional understanding" have increased significantly in China in recent years, with rain belts shifting westward and northward, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Tuesday.

Shen Zhanli, a spokeswoman for the ministry, made the remarks at a news conference on flood season safety in Beijing on Tuesday.

Compared with the 1990s, the area of humid and semi-humid climate zones in China has expanded by more than 300,000 square kilometers over the past five years, she said.

North China has seen particularly notable changes. The average number of rainstorm processes in the region over the past five years was 50 percent higher than in the 1990s, while the overall intensity of rainstorm processes was also 50 percent stronger than the average for the same period in previous years, according to the spokeswoman.

As a result, flood control work in North China has shifted from a situation in which authorities "prepared often but fought floods less frequently" to one in which they now face "regular major tests," Shen said.

Over the next five years, northern China is expected to continue seeing more rainfall overall, she said, adding that Northeast China and most parts of North China are likely to experience above-normal precipitation, with high risks of disasters caused by rainstorms and severe convective weather.