Southern China Battered by Severe Floods and Geological Upheavals

Southern China has been experiencing relentless and intense rainfall since June, leading to severe floods and geological upheavals in vast swathes of the region. The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has issued urgent alerts for residents in impacted areas.

Zhang Jiancheng, deputy director of the National Meteorological Center, explained the reason for the recent persistent heavy rainfall. He attributed it to the plum rain season in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, where the main rain belt is located.

"Stable atmospheric circulation and a strong Western Pacific subtropical high are bringing abundant moisture," Zhang said. "This is resulting in stable and intense rainfall in the southern rain belt with significant overlapping of rainfall areas."

Since June 17, continuous heavy rainfall has affected the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other regions. Some areas in Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi have accumulated rainfall of 400 to 600 millimeters. Several cities have received over 900 mm of rainfall, including Huangshan in Anhui (1117 mm), Hangzhou in Zhejiang (921 mm), Guilin (940 mm), and Liuzhou (932 mm) in Guangxi.

The daily rainfall at 24 national meteorological observation stations has exceeded historical June records. In areas such as northwest Zhejiang, southeast Anhui, southeast Hubei, northwest Hunan, and northern Guangxi, the accumulated rainfall is 2 to 3 times higher than the same period in a typical year.

Looking ahead to July, the CMA foresees a precipitation trend characterized by a "more in the north, less in the south" distribution in central and eastern China. Temperatures across the nation are anticipated to hover around or exceed seasonal norms for this time of year.

With summer vacations kicking off and travel plans surging, the CMA issued a cautionary advisory, urging the public to brace for high temperatures and heavy rainfall during their journeys.