The meteorological department of Beijing will attempt to dispel clouds that are forecast to shroud the city and cause thunderstorms on Tuesday night, a China Meteorological Administration (CMA) told Xinhua on Monday.

The move, which will come on the one-month countdown to the 2008 Olympic Games, will be part of a weather drill for the Games next month, the spokesman said, without elaborating.

The drill, from Sunday to Tuesday, was designed to see if all relevant departments could cooperate to provide comprehensive weather services and handle bad weather during the Games, he said.

During the drill, weather conditions and forecasts for the Olympic venues would be updated every three hours while weather conditions along the ring roads would be reported every 24 hours, according to the CMA.

The ring roads are six major thoroughfares that encircle Beijing.

All this information will be available on radio and TV, in newspapers, on the Internet and via electric billboards scattered around the city.

People could also call 12121 to get real-time weather for the Olympic venues or weather forecasts for the next six hours. The hotline provides services in Chinese and English.

(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2008)