National General Administration of Prevention and Control: large-scale spring flood may occur in spring 2016

A large-scale spring flood is expected to occur in some parts of China in the spring of 2016, the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported Tuesday.

The El Niño event, which has continued since May 2014, developed from the equatorial central Pacific to the eastern Pacific in May this year and has reached the standard of an extremely strong El Niño event and will continue until spring 2016, with a process highly similar to that of 1997/1998. Preliminary analysis shows that next year's flood and drought situation will be heavier than this year's. Most areas south of the Yangtze River will have more rainfall in spring, and large-scale spring flood may occur. In flood season, major floods may occur in some river basins, severe drought may occur in some places, and typhoon landing intensity may be too strong and deep into the interior, causing serious impact.

At present, a heavy rainfall process is about to occur in some parts of the south. According to the National Defense Conference, affected by weak cold air and warm and humid air flow to the south, from December 21 to 24, there will be an obvious precipitation process in the east of southwest China, Jiangnan, South China and other places. The accumulated precipitation is 25 to 50 mm, among which the precipitation is the strongest on the 22nd day. There is moderate to heavy rain in the south-central part of Jiangnan, the central and eastern parts of Guangxi and the northwest of Guangdong. Heavy rain can reach 50 to 70 mm in some areas.