1.   Floods from torrential summer rains are an annual scourge for much of southern China.

2.   Floods triggered by torrential summer rains are an annual scourge for much of southern China.

3.   Runoff from torrential summer rains fills rice paddies and vegetable plots, with nowhere to drain until the river subsides.

4.   Torrential summer rains are often accompanied by deadly flooding because centuries of overfarming have stripped hills of vegetation that would trap rain water.

5.   Torrential summer rains in southern China are accompanied by deadly flooding because centuries of overfarming have stripped hills of vegetation that would trap rain water.