Yangtze Delta Region Braces Heavy Rains

Heavy rain that has affected the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River since Monday is expected to last for about a week.

The National Meteorological Center warned on Tuesday that severe rain will affect 12 regions, including the south of Anhui Province, the southeast of Jiangsu Province and other areas bordering the Yangtze, with rainfall of 100 to 150 millimeters expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.

More regions will be affected later in the week.

From late afternoon on Monday, the rain had caused damage in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, especially affecting residents in the north of the city, where many streets were flooded.

A 63-year-old woman was drowned in the city's Yuhang District on Monday as she rode a tricycle in deep water under a bridge. Her body was found after a 20-minute search.

Yu Chao, spokesman for the Hangzhou flood prevention and drought relief headquarters, said it was the most severe rainfall Hangzhou had seen in recent years.

"The average water level dropped 10 centimeters before the rainfall. We started to drain water from rivers in the city at noon on Monday. However, the amount of rain exceeded our expectations," Yu said on Tuesday.

Yu added that workers would check the drainage system again and continue to pump water from rivers.

On Tuesday morning, the rain moved from Zhejiang Province to Jiangsu, affecting the cities of Nanjing, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and Nantong.

By noon, 50 to 100 millimeters of rain had fallen in some parts of Jiangsu. A red alert — the highest for heavy rain — was issued in Nanjing and Yangzhou.