500 Flights Cancelled, 180 Attractions Closed Due to Heavy Rains
By Justine Lopez
The capital endured some heavy rains over the weekend and they caused all sorts of havoc. More than 500 flights were cancelled and 182 were delayed over the weekend. Additionally, 180 tourist attractions – including Black Dragon Pool, Taoyuan Fairy Valley Scenic Area and Jietai Temple – were closed due to the storm.
The storm hit Beijing from Friday to Sunday and was upgraded from a yellow to an orange alert – which is the second-highest alert – on Saturday.
The capital got so much rain that as of Sunday the city’s reservoirs had received “enough water to fill more than 4,000 Olympic-size swimming pools,” The Beijing Morning Post reports.
The heaviest rainfall was seen in Chaoyang, which received a whopping 160mm of rain on Saturday alone.
The severe rainstorms were reportedly caused by a "vortex" that was making its way toward eastern Mongolia.
In addition to pounding rain, residents in Haidian, Tongzhou and Daxing also reported hail. The storm also caused at least 12 roads around the capital to flood.
More mountainous areas of the city were also given warnings of flash floods. On Sunday, at least 855 residents from 400 households in Miyun and Mentougou districts had to be evacuated due to heavy rains and fears of flash floods, Xinhua reports.
[Image via Reuters]
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