Chinese officials warn of more extreme weather, vow to step up monitoring

Climate change ‘leading to increased likelihood of extreme weather, with increasing intensity’

Heavy rainfall could bring more flooding to central China as well as the northeast and northern regions next month

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People wade through floodwater following heavy rainfall at a village in Xinxiang, Henan province on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:23pm, 28 Jul 2021Updated: 11:28pm, 28 Jul 2021

A senior official in charge of flood control has vowed to step up monitoring and early warnings after Typhoon In-fa wreaked havoc in central China, with more extreme weather ahead.

The combined effects of Typhoon In-fa and an area of high pressure in the Pacific generated the record rainfall that caused last week’s deadly floods in Henan province, killing at least 71 people and affecting more than 13.3 million, with some 2.4 million displaced.

Wang Zhihua, head of disaster relief at the China Meteorological Administration, told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that climate change was likely to bring more extreme weather events.

“Global climate change is leading to an increased likelihood of extreme weather, with increasing intensity,” he said.

The extended outlook for August is “generally poor”, with heavy rainfall expected in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Hebei and Heilongjiang provinces, and Inner Mongolia, according to Zhou Xuewen, head of the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Command Headquarters.

Speaking at the same briefing, Zhou said some rivers were likely to see heavy flooding, and several typhoons are expected to make landfall and move north next month.