URUMQI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is suffering the worst rainstorm since historical records began, with traffic and communications disrupted in some areas and more than 1,000 people stranded.

    The regional capital Urumqi alone received an average of 63.2 mm of rainfall between 6:00 p.m. on Monday and 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, the largest volume ever in its history, the municipal meteorological bureau said.

    Urumqi's roads were seriously congested on Tuesday, with rain water pouring down either sides of local highways.

    The rainstorm also hit the northern, southern and eastern parts of Xinjiang and triggered floods that damaged roads and communications.

    At midday Tuesday, more than 1,000 people and 3,000 vehicles were stranded on state highway No. 312 in Hami Prefecture of eastern Xinjiang.

    Floods have also disrupted two-way traffic on several provincial highways, the regional government said.

    It said road repairs were underway but gave no timetable as to when traffic would resume.

    Airport authorities said flight departures and arrivals remained normal at Urumqi International Airport.

    The rain has also postponed the excavation of a landmark tomb on the pasture land in the Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, northern Xinjiang.

    The excavation was scheduled to start on Tuesday morning with the hope that the first one of a cluster of rounded tombs ¨C seven meters tall and 60 meters in diameters -- will shed light on the culture of different ethnic groups that inhabited the area, including Uygurs, Turks, Huns and Mongols.

    "We have to postpone the excavation until the rain stops," said Xiao Huaiyan, a researcher with the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

    The rainstorm is expected to continue in the northern and eastern parts of Xinjiang Tuesday night and Wednesday, according to the regional meteorological bureau. It forecasts winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour will batter areas along the Tianshan Mountain Range.