Chen Siqi

vankochensq@163.com

HEAVY rains are expected to continue during the upcoming May Day holiday, from tomorrow to Sunday, with a high likelihood of thunderstorms and severe convective weather, according to the Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory.

Residents are advised to remain vigilant against potential secondary disasters caused by these thunderstorms.

The city is forecast to experience heavy rainfall and thunderstorms from today through Thursday, with wind speeds reaching levels eight to 10. Additionally, intermittent thundershowers are anticipated from Friday to Sunday.

To ensure passenger safety, Shenzhen’s railway authority has announced the cancellation of 24 trains mainly operating on the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, and the Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway from yesterday to Thursday. Passengers are urged to stay updated through www.12306.cn, the official ticket website of China Railway, or announcements made by railway stations to confirm their travel plans. Travelers who need to refund their tickets due to train delays must handle the issue within 30 days from the scheduled departure date; no service fees will be imposed.

Various locations in Guangdong Province have issued hailstorm warnings.

As one of the cities where severe convective weather is frequent, Shenzhen has experienced hailstorms six times in the past decade.

Hail, which is solid ice, forms from raindrops pushed up into colder areas of clouds during thunderstorms by upward air currents, where they freeze and turn into ice. Hailstorms typically occur from February to May and pose a threat to crops and agricultural infrastructure.

When encountering hail, residents are advised to seek shelter indoors.