Beijing rainstorm cancels flights, kills airport worker

Beijing's weather department issued a weather alert on Sunday afternoon as torrential rain fell in the capital and a cleaning worker was killed by lightning at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Thundershowers are also forecast for Monday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said.

Beijing's streets are flooded after torrential rains on Sunday afternoon. PHOTO BY CAI DAIZHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY

The bureau issued a yellow weather alert at 3 pm, saying flooding was likely in rivers and mountain streams.

The meteorological authority uses a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Beijing's streets are flooded after torrential rains on Sunday afternoon. PHOTO BY CAI DAIZHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY

From 7 am to 5 pm on Sunday, the average precipitation of the city's main urban area was 23.2 mm and the heaviest was 100.8 mm in the Qinglongqiao area of Haidian district, according to the bureau.

Zhang Pu, head of the team that oversees the flooding emergency team for the Beijing Drainage Group Co, said that an emergency plan had been started in the city on Sunday for possible flooding under bridges as more rains were forecast that night.