CRI听力：Beijing Likely to Be Hit by Shower on Aug 8

China's meteorological authorities have predicted that persistent heavy rainfall is unlikely in the lead-up to, or immediately after, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

But, a Beijing weather official says the city may be overcast or even hit by showers on the day the Olympics kick off.
Let's follow our reporter Dan Dan for a closer look.

Reporter:

According to the latest findings from the National Weather Center, on August 8th, the day of the opening ceremony, the weather in Beijing will be slightly cloudy and overcast.

The highest temperature will be between 30 and 32 Celsius degree and some showers or thunderstorms may occur on the day.

But, Wang Jianjie, deputy director of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, said it's still too early to give a detailed weather forecast for that day.

"We still have 5 days to go before that. With our current technologies it's very difficult to provide an accurate or specific forecast for that day especially for periodical rains, as they don't stay around long. In addition, the period of time needed to accurately forecast thunderstorms is comparatively shorter than forecasting conditions such as cloudy weather."

Wang Jianjie said detailed weather conditions for the opening night will not be available until August 6.

She added that even if there's a shower during the opening ceremony, they have worked out a contingency plan.

The weather official also said that the temperature during the Games period will be slightly higher than the average in Beijing. But she expressed the belief that it will not affect athletes' performances.

"Even if the temperature reaches 35 degrees, the peak temperature during the day will be very short. And we know not all events will occur at peak temperature time."

For those co-host cities of the Games such as Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Wang Jianjie said they'll see 2-3 typhoons make rainfall there in August. (Www.hxen.net)

So, will these tropical cyclones affect relevant events in these co-host cities? A weather official explains.

"We can send out a typhoon alert 36 hours ahead of time. And a typhoon usually influences a place for one or two days at most. So, definitely, it will not affect the whole series of events in those co-host cities. Plus, the specific time when a typhoon hits is not necessarily the same as when an event is held."

Dan Dan, CRI news.