Thunder-shower 雷阵雨（雷阵雨）

With the start of the Minor Heat season and the successive end of the Plum rains in Yangtze and Huai river districts, the rainy season from the Pacific southeast monsoon starts in the extensive area at the north of the Huai River-Qinling Mountains. In east China, there will be an obvious increase in precipitation and a relatively concentrated rainfall. Meanwhile, South China, Southwest China and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are also in the midst of the rainy season both from the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea southwest monsoon. However, under the control of the subtropical high it is high temperature and rainless in the midstream and downstream of Yangze River and the dry season which is usually appeared has a great impact on agricultural production, so it is quite essential to store water early in order to prevent drought. There is a peasants’ proverb---“when it rains in summer there will be rice in the pot”, though the rainfall which is brought from the thunderstorm, tropical storm and the typhoon is beneficial to the crop, such as rice, it will also affect cotton, beans and any other xerophil and vegetables.

Also, in some years around the minor heat the freezing air from the North is still strong which is evenly matched with the warm air from the South at the middle and lower reaches of Yangze River. As a result, thunderstorms appear in the frontal area. As the saying goes “Once it thunders at the minor heat, then the plum rain will be back”. This is to say that a thunderstorm which appears in the minor heat is usually a sign that the lasting rainy weather in the middle and lower reaches of Yangze River is around the corner.

Drought 干旱（gān hàn）

During the Minor Heat, it's usually dry in the east and wet in the west, which affects the production of crops. Therefore, measures should be taken to prevent against droughts or floods in order to reduce the damages as much as possible.

When the trees are green it turns out to be the minor heat. The average temperature in South China is 26 ℃ by then. Although it is summer, it isn’t the hottest time of the year. Usually, during the middle of July, the centralized period which has a daily average 26 ℃ and daily maximum of more than 35 ℃ feature starts at the lower altitudes stream valley area of South China. At the same time, snow and frost can still be seen in the north of Northwestern Plateau which seems like the early spring in South China.

Around the Minor Heat, the most-frequent rainy season starts in the west of South China. Annually, the rainy days in July and August possesses more than 75% and lasts for 3 days. In places where undulating terrains, flash floods usually occur may have flow of mud-rocks. In the east of South China, because of the subtropical high it is mainly clear days after the Minor Heat before going into a dry spell. The major area of South China goes into a season frequently riddled with thunderstorms. With lots of winds and storms, and sometimes hails, it is likely to create scourge and we should take precautions.

Flood 洪水（hóng shuǐ）

After the hottest part of the summer begins, floods caused by storms are bad for the growth of vegetables, cotton and beans. There is a saying which goes, "If there are south winds in Minor Heat, there will be draughts in Great Heat; while if there are thunders in Minor Heat, there will be heavy rains in Great Heat".

In southern China, thunders in Minor Heat usually imply the return of plum rains. There is a saying which goes, "A thunder in Minor Heat brings the weather back to the period of plum rains". There is a custom of avoiding south winds in Minor Heat in Jiangsu province. At those times, three kinds of machines, the tanker, cotton gins and the winnower, shouldn't be used. The south winds in Minor Heat are considered a symbol of poor harvest.