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

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Rescue workers evacuate residents on a flooded street in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Thursday. Photo: via Reuters

Published: 2:49pm, 11 Jun 2023

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.

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.

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