The people and the government of Beijing are understandably excited about hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics. If you are planning a trip to Beijing in order to see the event for yourself, you are probably equally excited about your trip. Nonetheless, it is important to have a good understanding of the climate in Beijing so you can be properly prepared for the weather. Not only could the weather affect your level of comfort, it can also have an affect on the events schedule.
Getting Wet in Beijing
August is a rainy time of year for Beijing, which is not the best news for Olympic organizers. More than seven inches of rain fall on average during the month, making it the second rainiest month of the year behind July, which gets more than 8 inches of rain on average.
The Olympics initially were planned to open in late July, but officials recommended that be changed because of the likelihood for rain. Even in August, the chance of rain in Beijing is about 50 percent on any given day. So, expect to get a little wet if you are planning a trip to the city.
Getting Hot Outside
August is not the hottest month in Beijing, but is known for having strong ultraviolet radiation. Daily temperatures will reach an average high of 84 degrees. Therefore, officials recommend wearing sunglasses and sun block while taking in the outside events. Wearing light clothes during the day will also help you keep cool.
Addressing Weather Concerns
Olympic organizers in China are concerned about the potential for poor and rainy weather during the games. Therefore, officials have made attempts to help the situation because they are afraid rain will spoil the Aug. 8 opening ceremony. One of the methods being used is cloud seeding.
Chinese scientists believe they can thwart rain through a process referred to as “cloud seeding.” In order to “seed” the clouds, the scientists pump substances such as silver iodide, dry ice and salt into the clouds. The combination of these materials is capable of forming raindrops that are larger than normal. This practice was used to help bring rain to desert areas in the northern regions of the country.
Obviously, they want to do the reverse in China. Basically, they hope to form raindrops that are smaller than normal. The hope is that, by decreasing the size of the raindrops, they will be able to delay the rain until after it has passed the area.
Scientists have been practicing this innovative technique for about two years and still are not certain about how effective it will be. They only plan to tinker with Mother Nature in the area immediate to the National Stadium, which has an opening in its roof. The stadium will hold 91,000 people during the games and will be the site for both the opening and closing ceremonies.
Monitoring the Beijing Weather
About 37,000 residents volunteer with the city’s branch of the Weather Modification Office, which is part of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, to help when needed. The Weather Modification Office plans to track weather continuously throughout the games using radar and other modern equipment.
The office’s resources are vast. In addition to the volunteers, who mostly are farmers, it also has 1,500 weather professionals, 30 aircraft, more than 7,000 guns and nearly 5,000 rocket launchers - which will be used to shoot the special chemicals into the clouds that are needed for cloud seeding.
Just this year, the bureau has also bought a highly specialized IBM computer, called the IBM System p575, to help with weather forecasting. It covers a 44,000 square kilometer area and generates hourly forecasts for each square kilometer. The computer also helps monitor air quality in Beijing.
When rain is spotted headed toward the stadium, the office plans to use aircraft and rockets to shoot the silver iodide and dry ice into the clouds to force a premature rainfall. In other words, they want to cause the clouds to dump the rain before they reach Beijing. If clouds pass through the first wave still holding rainfall, they plan to use chemicals to decrease the size of the raindrops and prevent them from falling.
The chemical used to reduce the raindrops is liquid nitrogen. By causing the raindrops to shrink in size, it reduces the chance of them falling. The process of trying to prevent rain is often successful with light rain clouds, but does not always work during periods of heavy rainfall.
Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4
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