Storms dump a year of rain on North China, Beijing braces for floods

Reuters

3 days ago

BEIJING, July 25 (Reuters) - Storms in northern China have poured nearly a year's rainfall on Baoding, an industrial city on the doorstep of capital Beijing, forcing over 19,000 people out of their homes as streets began to go under water and roads were cut off.
As much as 448.7 mm (17.7 inches) of rain fell in Yi, an area in western Baoding, in the 24 hours to early Friday morning, triggering flash floods, causing power outages in some villages and damaging bridges and roads, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The rainfall set records at a number of weather stations in Hebei province, which Baoding is part of. Official records show annual rainfall in Baoding averages above 500 mm.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, any people missing or damage in state media.
Some 19,453 people from 6,171 households were evacuated, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a social media post.
The forecaster did not mention where the residents were moved to, but shared a short clip showing two policemen in neon rain jackets boot-deep on a waterlogged street as rain poured down.
The forecaster compared the amount of precipitation to the exceptional rainfall brought by a powerful typhoon in 2023, which inundated the capital Beijing with rains unseen since records began 140 years ago.
Baoding's Zhuozhou, which suffered devastating floods in those rains two years ago, saw access to several bridges and roads cut off after the storms unleashed more than 190 mm of rain by Friday morning.
Northern China has witnessed record-breaking rainfall in recent years, exposing densely populated cities including Beijing to flood risks. Some scientists link the higher rainfall in China's usually arid north to global warming.
In response to flood disasters in Hebei and also in several places in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, the Chinese government on Friday allocated 23,000 items for disaster relief, including emergency kits and blankets, to support local authorities.
Hebei province recorded 640.3 mm in annual rainfall last year, 26.6% more than its decades-long average, according to CMA's 2024 climate bulletin on the province.
The report said Hebei has been recording consecutive above-average annual precipitation since 2020.
Last summer, Baoding, together with neighbouring cities Zhangjiakou, Langfang, Xiongan and Cangzhou had 40% more than the usual seasonal precipitation, with some localised areas within Baoding recording 80% more rains, the report showed.
The intensifying rainfall forms part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world's second-largest economy.
Chinese authorities are watchful of extreme rainfall and severe flooding as they challenge China's ageing flood defences, threaten to displace millions and wreak havoc on a $2.8 trillion agricultural sector.
Baoding maintained a red alert for heavy rains on Friday morning, while Hebei upgraded its emergency response preparedness.
Beijing, which is about 160 km (100 miles) from Baoding, was not spared the impact.
Rains were forecast to intensify, potentially accumulating to more than 50 mm over a six-hour period from Friday afternoon till Saturday morning in a number of districts, CCTV said.
The capital is expected to see the heaviest rainfall since its flooding season began, potentially triggering debris rushing down mountains, landslides and other secondary disasters, CCTV reported.
Beijing later on Friday issued flash flood alerts for four of its 16 districts, warning of a rapid rise in stormwater especially in the capital's mountainous north and west through Saturday morning.
Elsewhere in the country's north, heavy rains disrupted railway service in Inner Mongolia as authorities suspended several passenger trains passing through high-risk areas from Friday to Tuesday.