China braces for floods as heavy rain pelts southern provinces

Rising water forces evacuation of 2,600 people in Guangxi port city of Beihai, where rainfall reached record-breaking levels
Rainstorms to continue across large swathe of country, while blazing temperatures expected to shift from south to north next week

Accidents, extreme weather and disasters in China

Holly Chik

Published: 2:49pm, 11 Jun 2023

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Southern China was on alert for landslides and floods over the weekend as heavy rain continued to inundate Guangdong and Hainan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The extreme weather prompted the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters to issue an emergency warning for flooding and send advisers to Guangxi and Fujian province to guide the local rescue and relief efforts on Friday.

In the Guangxi port city of Beihai, 2,600 people had been evacuated as of Saturday afternoon after being trapped by rising water, according to China Fire and Rescue.

Rainfall in the city reached a record-breaking 542mm (21 inches) in four days from June 6 to June 9, comparable to the total annual rainfall in Beijing, according to an online weather portal run by the China Meteorological Administration.

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Persistent rain and swollen rivers caused flooding in Beihai’s Hepu county.

“Strong rainfall continues in parts of China’s south. The public should pay attention to weather forecasts and warnings and stay alert to secondary disasters such as landslides as well as floods in the mountains, rivers, urban and rural areas,” the administration said.

Heavy rain is expected over the next three days along the southeastern coast of Guangxi, the southern coast of Guangdong as well as the island province of Hainan, with up to 120mm expected in northern Hainan, according to weather forecasts.

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Heavy rain and rainstorms are also set to hit parts of Tibet autonomous region in the west, the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, and the central provinces of Henan and Hubei, according to the National Meteorological Centre. Some of these regions will see 20-40mm of hourly rainfall, as well as thunderstorms, gales and hail.

The headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management said government departments should issue rainstorm warnings early, prepare rescue teams and equipment, handle dangerous situations promptly and evacuate people in a timely manner, according to state news agency Xinhua.

It added that more efforts should be made to bolster the prevention and response to torrential floods and river flooding as well as ensure the safety of reservoirs.

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Meanwhile, temperatures of more than 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) have struck Sichuan, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi and the eastern metropolis of Shanghai.

Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the far west will also continue to be hit with scorching temperatures on Sunday and Monday, with Turpan reaching more than 40 degrees, according to weather forecasts.

The weather forecast also predicted that the high temperatures will shift to northern China next week, especially the southern part of Hebei province.

In northeastern China, the cities of Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang are expected to face higher temperatures next week – around 30 degrees – compared to the same period in past years.

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