In Chinese culture, it is often considered a blessing when it rains
- but not on August 8 next year.
Beijing Olympics organizers were dealt some bad news yesterday,
when meteorological experts predicted rain at the opening ceremony
at the National Stadium, the Bird's Nest.
Beijing's top meteorological experts calculated the prediction
using rainfall data from the past 30 years, and said there will be
a 50 percent chance of rainfall. But it's unlikely to be a
downpour.
"Even if it rains, it is more likely to be a drizzle," Wang
Yubin, deputy chief engineer with the Beijing Meteorological
Bureau, said.
Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan said earlier that his "biggest
headache" was the possibility of rain on the day of the Games'
opening ceremony.
But to his relief, Beijing's top weathermen have pledged to use
"advanced techniques" to keep the skies clear that day.
"We will use catalytic agents to force the rain clouds over the
National Stadium to fall down prior to the opening ceremony," Zhang
Qiang, who is in charge of Beijing's artificial rainmaking
projects, said.
Wang Yubin said China was very experienced in cloud seeding. "We
are pretty confident that we can effectively reduce rainfall in a
small area."
Wang Jianjie, deputy head of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau,
also pledged to improve their weather forecasting skills this year
for the "Good Luck Beijing" Olympic test events. They will rehearse
the whole package of services this August.
"We will try our best to provide accurate forecasts for each
Olympic venue either in Beijing or in other co-host cities," she
said.
Hundreds of experienced weathermen will be "loaned" to the
Beijing Meteorological Bureau to cope with the Olympics, she
said.
Despite measures to keep the rain at bay, Beijing still has to
keep its fingers crossed - as Wang Yubin said: "God bless
Beijing".
(China Daily April 26, 2007)
