Heavy rains leave 5 dead in China's southern provinces
The downpour triggered a wave of emergency alerts as authorities warned of increased risks of flash floods.
Torrential rains swept through China’s southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi over the weekend, leaving five people dead and several others missing.
The downpour triggered a wave of emergency alerts as authorities warned of increased risks of flash floods, landslides, and other geological hazards in the region.
According to state media outlet Xinhua, China’s National Meteorological Centre issued a series of warnings between Sunday and Monday, covering multiple provinces including Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong, and the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
A yellow alert—the third-highest level in the country’s four-tier weather warning system—was issued for areas in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi.
The alert indicates a significant risk of mountain flooding as heavy rains continue to batter parts of southern China.
China uses a four-tier weather warning system, with red indicating the highest level of severity, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.
The current yellow alert in several provinces signals a considerable threat, particularly from mountain flooding and geological disasters.
Meteorological data reveals that 2024 was China’s hottest year since record-keeping began over six decades ago—the second consecutive year to set a new temperature record.
The unusually warm conditions brought stronger storms, increased rainfall, and a surge in power demand across the world’s second-largest economy.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, heavy rains are expected to persist into the start of the week, with forecasts indicating more downpours from Monday to Tuesday in several areas, including the Tianshan Mountains region in far western Xinjiang.
