Hotan prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region recently encountered a rare rainstorm on Saturday, with precipitation totaling a historical high of 64.7 millimeters in 24 hours.
From 12 pm to 1 pm, the rainfall reached 34.3 millimeters, setting hourly record.
Within a three-hour span, from 11 am to 2 pm, rainfall in Hotan reached 53.8 millimeters, exceeding the local average annual precipitation of 47.8 millimeters.
Storm warnings issued by meteorologists for Hotan prefecture and Hotan city rose from blue to red level — a measure of increasing intensity.
According to Xin Xin, a senior weather analyst for China, water vapor from the Arabian Sea had been transported through Pakistan, India and the Xizang autonomous region before arriving in Xinjiang. In addition, an easterly flow of cold air originating south of Lake Baikal carried water vapor into the Tarim Basin.
Xu Xiaofeng, president of the China Meteorological Service Association, said in an interview with Hongxing News that such heavy rainfall is extremely rare locally and can have negative effects. While it replenishes total water in arid areas, extreme rainfall can also wash away dry soil.
At about 4 pm on Tuesday, Hotan's weather forecasting bureau released a yellow warning for rainfall, saying that from noon until 8 am on Wednesday, the mountainous area and some parts of the plains areas of the Hotan region would see heavy rain.
It also issued an orange warning for hail in Hotan city and its surrounding towns at about 5 pm.
Hotan prefecture is located on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, bordering the desert hinterland to the north and the Kunlun Mountains to the south.
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