During the plum season in Anhui in 2020, the average precipitation in the Chaohu Lake basin is 931 millimeters, which is nearly three times the same period of the normal year, ranking the first in the history of the same period，and making Lake Chaohu's highest water level in 150 years.

Weather monitoring and short-range forecasts are crucial for flood control. National, provincial and municipal meteorological departments made great efforts to make forecasts, dividing the 13,500 square kilometers of the Chaohu Lake basin into 12 subunits to carry out refined forecasts of factors including rainfall, wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity, and other elements. China Meteorological Administration (CMA) Public Meteorological Service Centre provides surface rainfall monitoring and short-range forecast products for the Chaohu Lake basin every three hours. Anhui Provincial Meteorological Service and Hefei Municipal Meteorological Bureau carried out 3-hourly and 1-hourly short-range forecasts respectively, during key periods.

Early warning and early action are crucial for flood control and disaster relief. Anhui Provincial Meteorological Service launched a Level 3 emergency response to major meteorological disasters (rainstorms) on June 10, and upgraded it to Level 1 on July 18. Hefei municipal government activated flood control, urban flood control, and natural disaster relief first-level response.

"With more water coming in and less going out, the Yuxi River is almost the only outfall from the Chaohu Lake", said WANGDongyong, Director of the Anhui Provincial Weather Station.

It is crucial to lower the water level of the Chaohu Lake. Meteorological departments worked together to respond to flood risks. CMA and Anhui Provincial Meteorological Station carried out key weather consultations. Anhui Provincial Meteorological Service mobilized three emergency command vehicles to go to the key sections, and established on-line consultation channel with the provincial meteorological stations. Departments of meteorology, emergency management, water conservancy, natural resources and other departments established a 24-hour linkage mechanism.

On July 18, 2020, Hefei Municipal Meteorological Department released the rainstorm red warning through cell phone text messages to the people, and through the Hefei newspaper and other media.

On August 1, 2020, Anhui Provincial Weather Station declared a plum rain outbreak. During this period, the Chaohu Lake embankment, downtown Hefei and key towns were safe, with no injuries or fatalities due to untimely or inappropriate transfers.

Editor: XU Nenyu