(SHEN JIZHONG)

A fisherman catches floats against the rainstorm by the seaside in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, on May 27.

Torrential rains battered many parts of China in late May. Thirty-four local monitoring stations reported record-breaking rainfall.

At least 50 mm fell in nine provinces in central and south China overnight, with some areas recording as much as 100 mm. Weather authorities said it is rare to see such strong rains in May.