Torrential rainfall that hits Beijing is historically rare: official

Beijing was hit by a historically rare torrential rainfall from 8 p.m. on July 29 to 7 a.m. on August 2, said local authorities on Wednesday. 　

"The average rainfall of the whole city reached 331 millimeters, with 83 hours of rainfall amounting to 60 percent of the normal annual rainfall.

The average rainfall in Mentougou District reached 538 millimeters, and the average rainfall reached 599 millimeters in Fangshan District," said Xia Linmao, deputy mayor of Beijing, at a press conference.