China Activates Level III Emergency Response Amidst Heavy Rainfall and Flash Floods

On Thursday, China’s national weather authority declared a Level III emergency response due to severe meteorological disasters affecting the central and eastern areas of the country. The heavy rainfall, which started on Wednesday, has led to flash floods, transportation interruptions, and large-scale evacuations in regions including Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Chongqing, Sichuan, Henan, and Hebei. The China Meteorological Administration has reported the occurrence of severe convective weather in parts of Henan and Hebei, further complicating the situation.

As forecasts predict continued heavy rain over the next three days, authorities are warning about potential dangers such as mountain torrents, geological hazards, and urban waterlogging in multiple regions extending from southwestern to central and eastern China. In Chongqing, intense downpours have resulted in flash floods and road blockages across various townships, impacting railway services with 17 train suspensions affecting travel to key cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

The local government has reported significant agricultural damage in Taiyuan township due to torrential rains, leading to the safe relocation of about 1,500 residents, with 800 placed in centralized shelters. By the afternoon, Henan issued red alerts for heavy rainfall, especially in the Zhengzhou aviation port area, where rainfall exceeded 100 millimeters and peaked at 130.5 mm.

In Hunan province, particularly the northern areas of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, intense rainfall was recorded, with Longshan county's Da'an township experiencing an unprecedented 381.8 mm of rain within 24 hours. This extreme weather has caused inland rivers to swell, prompting the local hydrologic bureau to issue a red flood warning as the Guoli River surged past its previous high water mark.

Meanwhile, in Guangdong province, which had recently dealt with rainstorms from a typhoon, authorities have downgraded their flood emergency response thanks to reduced rainfall and stabilizing water levels. In Huaiji county, water levels of the Suijiang River have begun to decrease from record highs, and local authorities are gradually restoring power as water levels allow.

The latest forecasts from the China Meteorological Administration indicate that heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is anticipated across parts of Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, with precipitation amounts expected to reach between 250 to 280 mm. Thunderstorms along with strong winds or hail of level 8 or higher are also predicted across northeast, north, southwest, and southeast China, underlining the continued threat posed by the weather conditions.