Heavy rainfall is forecast in flood-hit regions of eastern and southern China, while a tropical storm is inching towards coastal areas of South China.

The Huaihe River valleys and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River will experience heavy downpours in the next two days, according to the latest weather forecasts from China's Central Meteorological Station.

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The mainstream water levels in the Huaihe River in eastern China, which had dropped gradually over the past few days, began to surge again after rainfall over the weekend.

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Some 1.35 million people are keeping watch along the Huaihe River and Hongze Lake, including 816,000 in Anhui Province and 529,000 in neighboring Jiangsu Province.

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Heavy rains triggered flooding in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality over the weekend, leaving one person dead and another one missing, a local newspaper reported.

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South China's Guangdong Province is on full alert to face the challenges brought by the incoming Typhoon Koni.

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The Guangdong government issued an emergency notice yesterday to notify cities and counties in the province's western coastal areas to prepare for Typhoon Koni, which is expected to ravage the southern Chinese province this evening.

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Relevant government departments in western coastal areas must take concrete and effective precautionary measures, the notice stated.

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And according to an official who wished to remain anonymous from the Guangdong Provincial Flood Control Headquarters, all fishing boats and ferries in the western part of Guangdong have been ordered to return to local typhoon shelters before Koni arrives.

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Those residents who are now living in the areas near coastal dykes and in houses which are in poor condition will have to temporarily relocate to safer areas beginning today.

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Guangdong usually suffers severe economic losses caused by typhoons every summer, with many residents being killed and injured.

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Koni, the first to hit Guangdong this year, is expected to strike the western part of the province from this evening to early tomorrow morning.

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The tropical storm, formed above the South China Sea, is now moving at a speed as fast as 23 meters a second towards the western part of Guangdong Province, which borders Hong Kong and Macao.

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Affected by Koni, the Leizhou Peninsula and the whole western part of the Pearl River Delta will be expected to experience heavy rainfall starting today.

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The downpour, however, will help ease severe drought conditions that have plagued the region throughout the summer, the official said.

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Guangzhou, the provincial capital, was battered by heavy rainfall yesterday evening.

The precipitation has helped lower the city's previous high temperatures.

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Guangzhou's temperature has dropped 7 to 9 degrees centigrade to settle at around 30 degrees centigrade yesterday evening.

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In the previous two days, the mercury had peaked at more than 39 degrees centigrade in Guangzhou, the highest temperatures recorded in the past 50 years.

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The heat wave has led to brisk business for suppliers of electric fans, air conditioners, ice cream, herbal tea and other related products in Guangzhou since last week.

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(China Daily July 21, 2003)