According to information provided by the State Meteorological Observatory, rains of various density such as drizzle, moderate or heavy rains and thunderstorms will fall in most regions of north China in the next four days.

Sources with the observatory said clear and hot days have boiled on regions of North China for the last two weeks of May.

During the past couple of weeks, regions such as North China, the Yellow-Huaihe river valley and western parts of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces saw sustained hot days of more than 35 C with even 38 C in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province and Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.

East-moving cool air from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwest China will meet a warm and moist current from South China, which is forecast to produce large scale rainfall in most regions of North China from west to east.

The China News Service quoted meteorological experts as saying that the soothing precipitation would cool down the scorching weather, ease up drought, and help summer sowing, but it will have short negative effects on the wheat harvest.

In another development, Xinhua reported yesterday that torrential rains have caused flooding which killed four people, including three school children in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

(China Daily June 8, 2002)