Rain has hit Pingtan on and off since Wednesday morning, an indicator that the rainy season has arrived. It is expected to linger for a while, according to local meteorological authorities.

Heavy precipitation is forecasted to strike Pingtan in the next two days, and, after a short break Sunday, another round of rain will pelt the area and probably last for three days until next Tuesday, said the meteorological station.

Although it is the middle of May, the continuous rain has kept Pingtan from entering summer. Statistics show that the highest temperature has never exceeded 30 C this year, which is a bit abnormal for Pingtan. The average temperature over any five-day span has failed to reach 22 C, the threshold for summer in climatology.

"The hottest day this month was May 10, when the highest temperature hit 28.8 degrees," said Huang Rong, who works at the meteorological station. "Last year Pingtan embraced the summer season on May 6. Now it will be delayed for nearly half a month."

In summer, the temperature barely exceeds 35 C on Pingtan Island. Average temperatures above 30 C only happened in four years (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2004) in the past, she added.

Persistent rain could result in geological disasters. Residents better take up preventive measures in case items in their house mold, the meteorological station warns.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Michael Thai