The massive storms that brought flash flooding and hail to Beijing this past weekend were responsible for disrupting traffic and shutting down a section of the Great Wall of China.
Beijing issued a city-wide yellow alert for heavy rain over the past three days after the city received an average precipitation of 27.3 millimeters on Saturday, while an orange rain alert was raised for Fengtai after the district received some 100 millimeters of precipitation by 2pm that day.
The rain caused flash flooding throughout the city, causing road closures in 13 areas that include Miyun, Huairou, Mentougou, and Fengtai. City residents were seen attempting to navigate roads covered in knee-high water, while some cars are seen getting stuck by the flooded streets, especially at city underpasses.
Uploaded photographs show the roads between Picun Rotary Island and Xuyi Road to the city's northeast, above the airport, to be completely flooded, while online videos show the rain coming down in sheets all over the city, from the airport to Haidian (shown above) to Chaoyang's Beiyuan neighborhood (shown below).
159 flights were canceled at Beijing Capital International Airport, while another 119 were delayed. Additionally, the summer downpour caused the city's 171 scenic areas to be shut down.
As in past storms, Beijing residents have been seen doing their part to help out. This video shows a man refusing to move away from a broken manhole cover, signaling to drivers to stay clear (shown below).
The bad weather also brought lightning and hail to the capital, bringing on their respective blue and yellow alerts. Residents from all over the city took to social media to show off their hailstone collections:
The weekend storms were also responsible for temporarily shutting down Beijing's 179 tourist attractions. Unfortunately, some tourists visiting the Badaling portion of the Great Wall of China on Sunday did not receive the notification, resulting in a kilometer-long traffic jam on the highway leading to the historical landmark.
However, the rains weren't enough to deter tourists from visiting Tian'anmen Square:
Flash floods have occurred in Beijing this year in August, July, and June.
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E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com
Images: Weibo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), China Daily, NetEase