![]() | This article needs to be updated.(July 2016) |
Date | June–September 2016 |
---|---|
Location | Southern and northern China |
Deaths | 449+ total (350+ from flooding, 99 from tornado) |
Property damage | US$22 billion [1] |
In mid-June 2016, severe weather such as heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and hail [2] began across southern China, triggering deadly floods. Over the following month, additional rain events exacerbated flooding and affected more of the country. Areas along the Yangtze River and Huai River have been particularly hard-hit. [3] An estimated 32 million people across 26 provinces were affected and more than 200 people were killed. [4] 280,000 hectares (700,000 acres) of cropland was destroyed, with state damage estimates of around US$5.73 billion. [5] According to Aon Benfield, the damage estimate has reached US$22 billion. [1] Flooding of this magnitude was last seen in the country in 1998. [6] The floods destroyed over 23,600 houses and left 3,600 refugees homeless. [2]
During the late spring and early summer, a semi-permanent frontal boundary—called the meiyu front—emerges across eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan. This feature leads to prolonged periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms which frequently cause damage. Rainfall along this boundary tends to be particularly heavy in post-El Niño summers such as the summer of 2016. [7]
Heavy rainfall in South China began on 14 June, resulting in floods that killed 14 people. Over the following week, flooding spread across seven provinces and claimed a further 22 lives. By 20 June, at least 3.7 million people had been affected by the disaster and 197,000 were displaced. At least 10,500 homes collapsed and damage reached ¥2.7 billion (US$410 million).[ citation needed ] On 23 June, a violent EF4 tornado devastated communities in Funing and Sheyang Counties within Jiangsu. [8] At least 99 people were killed and 846 others were injured, [9] [10] making it the deadliest tornado to hit China in half a century. [11]
By the end of June, much of Eastern China suffered from flooding with areas along the Yangtze River experiencing the worst effects. More than 200,000 homes were damaged and economic losses reached ¥29 billion (US$4.4 billion). [12]
On 2 July, 23 people were killed and 7 injured when a landslide engulfed a village in Bijie, Guizhou.[ citation needed ] Photos of two pig farmers on their submerged farm in Lu'an, Anhui went viral leading to 6,000 pigs being rescued from rising waters. [13] [14] The outskirts of Liuzhou, Guangxi was flooded by the swollen Liu River. [5] 35 people were killed after a landslide hit a village in the Kunlun Mountains, Xinjiang on 7 July. [15]
Some areas in northern, central and eastern parts of China have been affected by severe weather, resulting in floods and landslides. By July 28, there were 162 missing and 417 flood deaths were recorded. As a result, The China National Commission for Disaster Management and the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued 16 four-level national responses. However, there is no international support. [2]
The floods in Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning and Heilongjiang have had a major impact on China, and the persistent severe weather has affected the southern regions, such as Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi. By September 19, typhoons Meranti and Malakas had caused damage to 16 cities and 107 counties. Therefore, the China National Disaster Commission for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and Ministry of Civil Affairs issued four levels of emergency measures for the Fujian and Zhejiang regions. From September 18 to September 22, more than 8,000 people need assistance, and even 5,400 people need to be moved to temporary housing. 14 people were confirmed dead and 9 others lost contact. [2]
Wuhan saw 570 mm (22 in) of rainfall during the first week of July, surpassing the record that fell on the city in 1991. A red alert for heavy rainfall was issued on 2 July, the same day that eight people died after a 15-metre (49 ft) section of a 2 m (6.6 ft) tall wall collapsed on top of them. [16] The city's subway system, the Wuhan Metro was partially submerged as was the main railway station. [17] In Ezhou, the Mingtang Stadium was flooded, waterlogging the entire pitch within the bowl structure. [18] At least 27 people were killed in the province and 400,000 required evacuation. Flooding encompassed 500,000 hectares (1,200,000 acres) of crops; 15,000 homes collapsed or sustained major damage, and economic losses reached ¥5.7 billion (US$850 million). [19]
On 6 July, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang toured Anhui, Hubei and Hunan and called on local officials to prepare for more flooding. [20] At the same time, Chinese Paramount leader Xi Jinping dispatched the Chinese army and armed police to help with flood relief efforts. Media reports have suggested that Typhoon Nepartak may worsen the flooding when it makes landfall traveling from Taiwan. [17] [21]
Typhoon Zeb, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Iliang, was a powerful typhoon that struck the island of Luzon in October 1998. It is tied with Cyclone Ron and Cyclone Susan in terms of minimum pressure, for the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide for 1998. The tenth tropical storm of the season, Zeb formed on October 10 from the monsoon trough near the Caroline Islands. It moved westward initially and quickly intensified. Zeb's inflow briefly spawned another tropical storm, which it ultimately absorbed. Developing an eye, Zeb rapidly intensified into a super typhoon, officially reaching maximum sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph); one warning agency estimated winds as high as 285 km/h (180 mph). After reaching peak intensity, the typhoon struck northern Luzon and quickly weakened over land. Turning to the north, Zeb brushed the east coast of Taiwan at a reduced intensity, and after accelerating to the northeast it moved through Japan. It became extratropical on October 18 and moved eastward over open waters.
Typhoon Ewiniar, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ester, was the third named storm of the 2006 Pacific typhoon season and one that lasted for twelve days as a tropical cyclone, moving on a generally northward track. During its lifespan, it affected Palau, Yap, eastern China, the Ryūkyū Islands of Japan, South Korea as well as North Korea, briefly threatening to make landfall in North Korea before doing so in South Korea. Ewiniar is responsible for at least 181 deaths. However, an unofficial report stated that up to 10,000 people had been killed by flooding in North Korea, with 4,000 people missing.
The 2011 China floods were a series of floods from June to September 2011 that occurred in central and southern parts of the People's Republic of China. They were caused by heavy rain that inundated portions of 12 provinces, leaving other provinces still suffering a prolonged drought, and with direct economic losses of nearly US$6.5 billion.
Typhoon Fred was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage in southeastern China in mid-August 1994. Regarded as the worst typhoon to affect Zhejiang in 160 years, it originated as an area of disturbed weather over the open West Pacific on August 13. The system moved west-southwest and developed into a tropical depression on August 14. Early on August 15, it intensified into a tropical storm. Fred intensified at a steady rate over the course of several days while moving toward the west. The storm intensified into a typhoon on August 16 and into a super typhoon three days later. Late on August 19, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the principal organization in the West Pacific, estimated 10-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), meanwhile, assessed 1-minute sustained winds of 240 km/h (150 mph). After peaking in intensity, Fred veered to the north of Taiwan and struck the China mainland near Wenzhou early on August 21. The system degraded once inland and dissipated near Wuhan on August 22.
Typhoon Yancy, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Tasing, was one of the costliest and most intense tropical cyclones to strike Japan on record. Yancy was the sixth typhoon of the annual typhoon season and sixth tropical cyclone overall to impact Japan that year. Developing out of an area of disturbed weather in the open northwest Pacific on August 29, 1993, the precursor to Yancy tracked westward and quickly intensified to reach tropical storm strength on August 30. Just two days later, the tropical storm reached typhoon intensity as it recurved towards the northeast. A period of rapid intensification followed, allowing Yancy to quickly reach super typhoon intensity. The strong tropical cyclone reached peak intensity on September 2 with maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h (109 mph). The following day Yancy made its first landfall on Iōjima at nearly the same strength; over the course of the day the typhoon would make three subsequent landfalls on Japanese islands. Land interaction forced the tropical cyclone to weaken, and after its final landfall on Hiroshima Prefecture, Yancy weakened below typhoon intensity. After emerging into the Sea of Japan, Yancy transitioned into an extratropical cyclone; these remnants persisted as they meandered in the sea before dissipating completely on September 7.
Typhoon Saomai, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Osang, was a long-tracked and intense tropical cyclone that brought flooding rainfall in Japan and the Korean Peninsula in September 2000. The torrential precipitation in Japan was considered some of the worst in the past century.
Typhoon Abe, known as Typhoon Iliang in the Philippines, was the fourteenth named storm of 1990 Pacific typhoon season. Forming on August 23 from a tropical disturbance, the depression which would eventually develop into Typhoon Abe initially tracked in a steady west-northwestward direction. As a result of an intense monsoon surge, Abe's trajectory briefly changed to an eastward then northward path before returning to its original track. Abe only intensified by a small amount between 00:00 UTC August 24 and 06:00 UTC August 27 due to the disruptive effects of the surge, and on August 30, Abe peaked in intensity as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. After peaking in intensity, Abe crossed the Ryukyu Islands and the East China Sea, making landfall in China where it affected the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu before entering the Yellow Sea, crossing South Korea, and finally transitioning into an extratropical cyclone.
Typhoon Mujigae, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Kabayan, was the costliest typhoon to impact China in 2015. The typhoon first passed over the Philippines as a developing tropical cyclone from October 1 to 3, 2015. It then caused widespread damage in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan from October 3 to 6. Afterwards, as Mujigae weakened inland, it brought heavy rain to parts of Mainland Southeast Asia. Mujigae originated from an area of disturbed weather that formed just east of the Philippines on September 30. The disturbance slowly organized amid a favorable environment, becoming a tropical depression later that day. It traveled steadily west-northwestwards and made landfall in Central Luzon late on October 1, before crossing into the South China Sea the next morning. Mujigae strengthened rapidly on October 3, becoming a mature typhoon with 10-minute sustained winds of 155 km/h (96 mph), 1-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (134 mph), and a minimum pressure of 950 hPa (28.05 inHg). The typhoon then made landfall over Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and weakened swiftly, dissipating inland over Guangxi on October 5.
Typhoon Nepartak, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Butchoy, was the third most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2016. Nepartak severely impacted Taiwan and East China, with 86 confirmed fatalities. It caused 3 deaths and NT$678 million of damage in Taiwan. Moreover, Nepartak also had disastrous effects in Fujian, China, causing 111 deaths and ¥9.99 billion of damage. After the season, total damages exceeded up to ¥12.65 billion.
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In late June through mid-July 2018, successive heavy downpours in southwestern Japan resulted in widespread, devastating floods and mudflows. The event is officially referred to as Heisei san-jū-nen shichi-gatsu gōu by the Japan Meteorological Agency. As of 20 July, 225 people were confirmed dead across 15 prefectures with a further 13 people reported missing. More than 8 million people were advised or urged to evacuate across 23 prefectures. It is the deadliest freshwater flood-related disaster in the country since the 1982 Nagasaki flood when 299 people died.
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