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Beijing plans to stop rain on National Day

BEIJING'S meteorological department will attempt to disperse any rain clouds that will interrupt planned National Day celebrations, weather officials said yesterday.

"We are working on rain cloud dispersal plans to ensure good weather for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1," said Xie Pu, director of the department.

No details have been made available of National Day celebrations.

Xie said the bureau has had success in using airplanes and rockets to disperse rain clouds before the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Guo Wenli, head of the bureau's climate center, said weather data for the National Day period in the past 30 years suggests complicated conditions.

"We saw a 20 percent possibility of precipitation, mostly drizzle," Guo said. He said rain cloud dispersal can work in drizzly or misty conditions, but not during a downpour or if there is lightning.

Weather modification means were also used to increase rainfall and ease a drought in Beijing last year. It helped increase the water level in Miyun Reservoir, Beijing's largest drinking water reserve, by 39.2 millimeters and Guanting Reservoir, the second largest, by 26.7 millimeters, according to the bureau's statistics.

Weather modification has chiefly been used across the country to ease droughts, especially in northern China.



 

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