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Southern China ravaged by flooding with heavy rain in forecast

10 July 2020
13779
2020-07-10 14:15

State media in China on Friday reported that 140 people have died or are missing amid ongoing flooding. The country's national observatory also issued an alert for more heavy rain in parts of the country already hit hard by flooding. A number of provinces have raised their emergency response levels in response to flooding in recent days.

China has blamed unusual weather conditions, including humidity carried from the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean as the immediate cause, but it has also said long-term changes in climate patterns have made it more vulnerable. In June, rainfall was 13.5% higher than the seasonal average, according to the official data, and long-term trends also show a 20% increase in average annual rainfall since 1961, the China Meteorological Administration has said.

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