Heavy rainfall, high temperatures to test gaokao students

Heavy rainfall and high temperatures are expected during the college entrance examination, or gaokao, which will be held from Friday to Monday this year, China's National Meteorological Center said on Wednesday.

In addition, this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which spans from Saturday to Monday, will coincide with the exam.

From Friday to Monday, South China is expected to experience heavy rainfall, especially areas of southern Yunnan, eastern and southern Guizhou, northern Guangdong, western and southern Hunan, central and southern Jiangxi, western and northern Fujian, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The accumulated precipitation will range from 50 to 80 millimeters, with some certain areas exceeding 100 mm and maximum hourly rainfall exceeding 60 mm, the center said.

In addition, there will be strong convective weather such as thunderstorms and strong winds, the center added.

In Northeast China and the northern parts of North China, there will be showers and thundershowers, with certain areas experiencing winds of up to level 8 to 9 on the Beaufort scale, the center said.

High temperature is projected to hit North China from Saturday, it said.

From Saturday to next Friday, temperature in areas such as Henan, Shandong, southern Hebei, northern Hubei, central Shaanxi, northern and eastern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and central and western Inner Mongolia autonomous region will exceed 35 C. The highest temperatures in certain areas are expected to surpass previous records for June, it said.

The center also warned students to take measures to prevent heat and leave ample time on the roads.