Tropical storm Morakot has brought a breath of fresh air to some parts of China in the grip of drought but the relief it offers will be fleeting.

Residents in south China's Guangdong Province will enjoy relatively comfortable weather with the coming of the storm, after enduring days of sweltering heat.

Shanghai can also expect heavy rain tomorrow now that Morakat has moved into southern China.

Dai Xinfu, a senior engineer with the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, said: "The sub-tropical high controlling the city will weaken with the arrival of southeasterly winds accompanying the storm. However, the maximum temperatures will still hover between 33 C and 35 C."

In Guangdong, Morakot will do little to lessen the drought in eastern and northern parts of the province, meteorologists said yesterday.

The Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Observatory predicted moderate to heavy rain for the northeast and southeast of the province and showers or thunderstorms for other regions.

Over the next two days, Guangdong is likely to experience humid and cloudy weather, accompanied by showers.

Meteorologists said the high temperatures will probably return after Morakot passes through and the current rainstorms and showers will have virtually no impact on the drought.

In fact, the area in drought is likely to grow and water shortages worsen in many counties.

According to the Guangdong Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Department, 37 counties are now drought declared, with Shixing County in Shaoguan in north Guangdong and Nan'ao County in Shantou in the southeast of the province the worst hit. The drought in Shaoguan has cost more than 30 million yuan (US$3.61 million).

In east China's Fujian Province, typhoon Morakot weakened into a tropical storm after it hit the province at 7:30 pm on Monday.

It moved onto the mainland at the town of Weitou in Jinjiang, with wind speeds of up to 18 meters per second, before moving northwest and losing force.

According to Vice-Director Liu Aimin of the Fujian Meteorological Observatory, the long-awaited tropical storm and the torrential rain in its wake brought some relief to central and southeastern parts of the province, which is experiencing its worst drought since 1938.

But in the north of the province, the drizzle has failed to take the edge off the drought.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Beijing dropped late yesterday after afternoon rain cooled the capital.

However, the days to come will still be steamy.

No more rain is expected in Beijing until Friday, despite the lack of rainfall so far this summer, the Beijing Meteorological Station said yesterday.

Beijing has sizzled over the past several days, drying out the city even further. The water levels of most of Beijing's 80 reservoirs are lower than in previous years, meteorologists said.

Elsewhere in the country, one of its most prosperous regions, the Yangtze River Delta, has experienced frequent blackouts this summer as the most extreme heat in half a century drains power supplies.

(China Daily August 6, 2003)