Tempest hits Beijing

A man holding an umbrella rides his bicycle with great difficulty in the waterlogged street as a tempest hits Beijing, the capital city of China, July 10, 2004.

A taxi driver encounters a dilemma as his car fails to restart the engine in the waterlogged street in Beijing, capital city of China, July 10, 2004. A tempest hits the city late Saturday.

Drivers have to get off their vehicles which are trapped in a waterlogged street under the Lotus Bridge of downtown Beijing, July 10, 2004. A sudden strong rainstorm hit China's capital city on Saturday afternoon and caused traffic problems at downtown areas. The storm brought over 42 mm rainfall to the downtown places within one hour and in the western part of the city the rainfall was more than 25 mm.