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30-07-2023
BEIJING: Rain has soaked northern China as Typhoon Doksuri, one of the strongest storms to hit the country in years, forced authorities to evacuate thousands in Beijing after pummeling the Philippines and Taiwan, and lashing China’s coast.
A broad area encompassing the capital faces a medium to high risk of rainstorm disasters over the coming three days, China’s national forecaster said. Thunderstorms in the capital were forecast to peak on Saturday.
As the storm rolls inland, cumulative rainfall of 100mm (4 inches) or more was forecast over 220,000 square kilometres (85,000 square miles), potentially affecting 130 million people.
“Doksuri’s intensity continues to weaken but the impact is far from over,” the China Meteorological Administration said, warning the public to be vigilant and avoid high-risk areas in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions where localized rainfall could reach 600mm (two feet).
Over the weekend, small and medium-sized rivers in southern Beijing, central and western areas of Hebei, eastern Shanxi and northern Henan could swell above warning levels, while flash floods and geological hazards could occur around mountainous areas.
Beijing authorities suspended sports events, while a number of tourist spots and parks were shut. The city’s flood control department said it has mobilized 203,230 rescue personnel and 3,031 people had been evacuated, local media reported.
Doksuri is the most powerful typhoon to hit China this year and the second strongest to hit the southeastern province of Fujian since Typhoon Meranti in 2016.
Moving northwest and deeper inland, the storm weakened into a tropical depression in Anhui province early on Saturday at winds of 30km/h (20 miles per hour), but as its wind speeds continued to ease off, Doksuri’s centre became harder to determine.
