BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Qin Dahe, director of the China Meteorological Administration, said on Thursday that China has more than 33 million Short Message Service (SMS) subscribers by mobile phones for weather service.

    Chinese weather service departments at all levels have provided perennial weather information to governments, institutions and other communities through various media, Qin said at a meteorology working meeting held Thursday in Beijing.

    China was hit by six typhoons and two strong tropical storms last year, the most since 1997. Major rivers in central and south China, such as the Weihe River, a north tributary of the Yellow River, the Huaihe River and the Pearl River, experienced serious flooding.

    Weather departments have made timely and accurate forecasts and precautions for relevant subscribers about the floods, said Qin, noting that the weather precautions have effectively reduced losses in forest fires, floods, earthquakes and serious pollution.

    He said in the last five years that 89 weather radars, 7,514 automatic weather stations and two satellites were launched for weather forecasts. Enditem