ZHENGZHOU, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The central Chinese city of Zhengzhou has been lashed by record rainstorms, causing severe waterlogging, traffic disruptions, and power outages.
The record rains have prompted the flood control and drought relief headquarters in the capital city of Henan Province to upgrade the flooding emergency response level to its highest on Tuesday afternoon.
Zhengzhou received average precipitation of 457.5 mm within 24 hours to 5 p.m. Tuesday, the highest daily rainfall since the weather record began. The city also reported record-high hourly precipitation of 201.9 mm between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the Henan provincial meteorological center said.
The severe waterlogging has led to the virtual paralysis of the city's road traffic. Over 80 bus lines have been suspended, more than 100 temporarily detoured, and the subway service has also been temporarily suspended.
The airport in Zhengzhou canceled 260 flights into and out of the city, and local railway authorities also halted or delayed some trains.
Affected by the rainstorms, several residential communities in the city are without tap water and electricity. Enditem
