Beijing lifts blue alerts for rain, flooding

Beijing's weather authorities lifted their blue alerts for torrential rains and flooding on Friday morning.

Still, most of the city will receive rain during the daytime, and some eastern areas may see thundershowers, forecasters said. Thundershowers are also likely during the coming weekend, it said.

The authorities had issued a blue alert for heavy rainfall early on Thursday. It started raining in the afternoon due to the influence of the lingering tropical storm In-fa.

To cope with the rain, Beijing has adopted flexible working hours and temporary transportation controls.

Beijing closed its parks and all the tourist resorts in mountain areas. The Beijing water authority issued a Level II emergency flood response on Thursday, and staff members were sent to monitor pumping stations. Other employees were placed on standby.

Huo Fenglin, a water authority official in charge of flood control and drought relief, said the rainfall on Thursday and Friday is different from before, since it is related to In-Fa.

"We have made targeted response plans, since the condition of the rain has been changing," he said. "All staff members in our bureau are standing by to cope with the coming rain."

According to Beijing West Railway Station, 65 trains were suspended on Friday because of torrential rains in many areas across the country.

Many citizens have received messages to stay away from mountainous areas to avoid risks, and many institutions and companies have allowed their employees to go home early or work from home.

Zhang Na, a white-collar worker in Beijing's Chaoyang district, said she spent half an hour more than usual to get to work on Thursday morning. She returned home at around 3 pm to avoid rush hour traffic congestion in the evening.