Date | April 14, 2024 -ongoing |
---|---|
Location | Guangdong, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, Guizhou, Jiangxi |
Cause | Heavy rainfall |
Deaths | 71+ |
Non-fatal injuries | 6+ |
Missing | 2 |
Property damage | 5.05 billion yuan (~US$695 million) |
Several floods caused by heavy rainfall struck in China starting in Guangdong Province in April 2024. Bands of heavy rainfall in June 2024 caused water levels to rise in rivers before moving northwards to other Southeastern and Central Chinese provinces, causing significantly raised water levels in the Yangtze River and the Pearl River Delta, inundating many towns and cities, forcing the relocation of hundreds of thousands of civilians, destroying several roads, structures, and farmland, and causing at least 71 deaths. [1] [2] [3]
Starting on 16 April 2024, Guangdong Province was stuck by significant rainfall and flooding, inundating homes and infrastructure, impacting millions, and forcing more than 110,000 residents to relocate. Forty-four rivers in the Pearl River Delta exceeded their warning water levels. Six people in Shaoguan were injured due to landslides. Over 80 houses suffered severe damage or complete destruction due to landslides and floods, resulting in a loss nearing 140 million yuan ($20 million). [2]
On 16 June 2024, heavy rains hit Guangdong, with Pingyuan County receiving an average rainfall of 199 mm. The town of Sishui recorded the highest rainfall at 367mm, while three other locations reported rainfall exceeding 300mm. The persistent rain throughout the week led to severe flooding, landslides, and mudslides, with the Shiku and Songyuan rivers overflowing and causing widespread damage. Meizhou was significantly affected, where 48 people died after part of the Meidagao Section of the Meilong Expressway collapsed. [4] [5]
The rainfall and secondary disasters destroyed roughly 356 kilometers (221 miles) of road and damaged over a hundred bridges. Four deaths were reported in Meizhou's Meixian District, while Jiaoling County reported five fatalities. The Songyuan River, which flows through Meizhou, experienced its largest recorded flood. The combined disasters caused estimated losses of 3.65 billion yuan (US$502 million) in Jiaoling County and 1.06 billion yuan (US$146 million) in Meixian District. [6]
Following extensive flooding in Guangdong province, forecasters anticipated that rain systems would move from the southern regions and shift northwards to Sichuan, Chongqing, and parts of Hubei, Henan, and Shandong. [1] On 23 June, 65.1 millimetres of rainfall dropped on Hunan capital Changsha on Monday, setting a new record for the most hourly rainfall dropped on Changsha in June. The rain caused fully inundated several roads, subway tunnels, and pedestrian underpasses. [7]
Pingjiang County recorded 759.6 mm of rainfall between 18 June and 1 July, the highest recorded in over 60 years. The Miluo River, monitored by the Pingjiang hydrological station, saw water levels rise by about 9.5 meters in 48 hours. River levels reached their peak at midnight on Monday, reaching 3.67 meters above the warning level, setting a record for the river's highest water level in 70 years. [8] This prompted local authorities in Hunan to activate the maximum emergency response level (Level I). The flooding impacted approximately 340,000 people and disrupted numerous businesses, with state media displaying large parts of towns being waterlogged, requiring stranded individuals being rescued by boats. [1]
Heavy rains in Miluo City triggered landslides, with at least two villagers reported missing on 1 July. [9]
Five people in Yuanling County were found dead due to flooding. [10]
China's Ministry of Water Resources reported on 2 July that water levels in portions of the lower to middle courses of the Yangtze River exceeded 9.5 meters on 2 July, passing over the warning level by 0.8 meters. Authorities activated a second-level response for flood control on the evening of 2 July, with the lake previously recording its highest water level of 22.6 meters in July 2020. [1]
By July 3, the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River experienced a continuous rise in water levels due to increased flow from the river's upper reaches combined with persistent rainfall moving north from Guangdong province. [11]
Flooding caused by heavy rains in Anhui Province affected roughly 991,000 residents and necessitated the evacuation of about 242,000 people, requiring officials to updated their emergency response to Level-III to manage the disaster relief efforts. Rainstorms pushed waters above warning levels in six lakes and 20 rivers in Anhui. By 4 p.m. local time on 2 July, extensive damage was reported across 36 counties among seven prefecture-level cities. [8]
Starting in June 22, Susong County experienced continuous downpours, flooding approximately 666 hectares of rice field seedlings and requiring local departments to drain the water in order to mitigate the damage. [8]
Tongren City in Guizhou Province faced 140.2 mm of total rainfall in Bijiang District, and 157.2 mm in Wanshan District due to rapid water level increase in the Jinjiang River. [11]
Jiujiang City experienced continuous heavy rain from 1 July to 2 July that resulted in significant urban and rural flooding necessitating emergency evacuations with rubber rafts. [11]
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction have mobilized more than 50,000 people to monitor dikes and ensure the integrity of flood defenses in cities in Anhui near the Yangtze river. Several provinces, including Henan and Anhui, dispatched rescue operators in rubber rafts to rescue trapped and stranded civilians from floodwaters and submerged power lines. [1] [11] In Daping Town, 117 residents needed to be evacuated by firefighters in rubber rafts due to rising water levels, structure flooding, and fallen trees. [11]
Anhui province's power supply department worked for two days starting on June 30 to construct a 1,500-meter-long power line, providing a stable power supply to water drainage devices to enable 24-hour operations to move out accumulated water and reduce flooding. [11]
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, issued its second-highest flood warning, with the Nanjing Maritime Department banning various vessels, including passenger ferries, from entering or operating in the river's Jiangsu section to ensure safety. [1]
The National Disease Control and Prevention Administration issued a directive to intensify efforts to prevent and manage schistosomiasis during the current flood season due to the water-borne prevalence of blood fluke larvae in 12 provincial-level regions within the Yangtze River basin and areas south of the river. [12]
A cloudburst is a enormous amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of water, e.g. 25 mm of the precipitation corresponds to 25,000 metric tons per square kilometre. However, cloudbursts are infrequent as they occur only via orographic lift or occasionally when a warm air parcel mixes with cooler air, resulting in sudden condensation. At times, a large amount of runoff from higher elevations is mistakenly conflated with a cloudburst. The term "cloudburst" arose from the notion that clouds were akin to water balloons and could burst, resulting in rapid precipitation. Though this idea has since been disproven, the term remains in use.
Severe Tropical Storm Kammuri, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Lagalag, killed hundreds of people in the wake of a deadly flood season in China. The system developed from a large monsoonal system that persisted toward the end of July 2002 near the Philippines. On August 2, a tropical depression formed off the northwest coast of Luzon and moved west-northwestward. Late on August 3, it intensified into Tropical Storm Kammuri off the coast of Hong Kong. A weakening ridge turned the storm northward toward the coast of China. The storm made landfall with late on August 4, after reaching peak winds of 100 km/h (65 mph). The system dissipated over the mountainous coastline of eastern China and merged with a cold front on August 7.
The 2008 South China floods began on 26 May 2008. Four rounds of torrential rains with landslides and flooding lasted for 20 days and affected fifteen provinces in Eastern and Southern China.
The 2010 China floods began in early May 2010. Three hundred and ninety-two people died, and a further 232 people were reported missing as of June 30, 2010, including 57 people in a landslide in Guizhou. Fifty-three of the deaths occurred from the flooding and landslides between May 31 and June 3, and 266 deaths occurred between June 13 and June 29. Four hundred and twenty four people were killed by the end of June, including 42 from the Guizhou landslide; 277 more were killed and 147 were missing in the first two weeks of July, bringing the death toll as of August 5 to 1,072. A landslide in early August in Gansu killed at least 1,471 people and left 294 missing. In total, the flooding and landslides killed at least 3,185 people in China by August 31. More than 230 million people in 28 provinces, municipalities, and regions, especially the southern and central provinces and regions of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing Municipality, Gansu, Sichuan, and Guizhou, and the northeastern province of Jilin were affected, while at least 4.66 million people were evacuated because of the risk of flooding and landslides in the latter half of June. By early August, over 12 million people were evacuated, and that number rose to 15.2 million by August 31.
Typhoon Chanthu, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Caloy, was a weak typhoon that impacted southeastern China in the 2010 Pacific typhoon season. The storm formed on July 17, slowly moving to the Philippines, making direct landfall in Aurora. The storm later was later named respectively as Caloy and Chanthu. The storm later made its way to China, where the storm had its peak intensity. The storm later dissipated on July 23.
Typhoon Fanapi, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Inday, was a damaging and deadly typhoon that struck Taiwan and southeastern China in September 2010. It was the eleventh tropical storm and fourth typhoon of the very inactive season. The storm formed on September 14 east of the Philippines and moved slowly for several days, initially to the northwest, then curving to the northeast before turning westward due to a ridge to the north. During this time, Fanapi intensified to reach 10 minute maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h (109 mph). Fanapi made its first landfall on September 19 over Hualien, Taiwan, becoming the first typhoon to hit the island since Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. Later that day made a final landfall in Fujian, China. The storm dissipated on September 21 over southern China.
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.
Tropical Storm Vongfong affected China after a deadly flood season. The 14th named storm of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, Vongfong developed as a tropical depression on August 10. Initially it was disorganized due to hostile conditions, and it failed to intensify significantly before crossing the Philippine island of Luzon. There, flooding forced 3,500 people to evacuate their homes. In the Philippines, the storm killed 35 people and caused $3.3 million in damage.
In July 2013, much of southwest China experienced heavy rainfall that led to widespread flooding. Sichuan was the hardest hit. At least 73 people were killed as a result of the flooding, with 180 people missing. An estimated 6 million lives were disrupted by the floods.
Severe Tropical Storm Utor, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Feria, was a large and deadly system that caused heavy rains and landslides throughout the Philippines, Taiwan, and China. The eighth tropical depression and fourth named storm of the 2001 Pacific typhoon season, Utor formed on July 1 and intensified into a tropical storm shortly after. Utor was upgraded to a typhoon by the JTWC on July 3, and a day later, Utor was estimated to have peaked with 10-min winds of 110 km/h (70 mph), with the JTWC estimating 1-min winds of 150 km/h (95 mph). After passing just north of Luzon, Utor began to weaken, before making landfall on the district of Dapeng as a minimal typhoon. Utor caused 203 deaths, of which 168 were in the Philippines, 23 were in the province of Guangdong, 10 were in the province of Guangxi, and 2 were in Taiwan. Total damages from the storm amounted to $2.78 billion.
In mid-June 2016, severe weather such as heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and hail 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. An estimated 32 million people across 26 provinces were affected and more than 200 people were killed. 280,000 hectares of cropland was destroyed, with state damage estimates of around US$5.73 billion. According to Aon Benfield, the damage estimate has reached US$22 billion. Flooding of this magnitude was last seen in the country in 1998. The floods destroyed over 23,600 houses and left 3,600 refugees homeless.
The 2017 China floods began in early June 2017. More than 14.9017 million people in 10 provinces and municipalities and regions were affected, especially the southern and central provinces and regions of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shandong, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Henan. Hunan was the hardest hit. A total of 18,100 houses were destroyed, and more than 9,821-square-metre (105,710 sq ft) of crops were inundated.
Tropical Storm Ewiniar was a tropical cyclone in early June 2018 that brought prolonged heavy rains to Vietnam and South China, causing damaging floods and landslides. The fourth named storm of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Ewiniar developed as a tropical depression just east of Vietnam on June 2. The system moved generally northwards over the South China Sea, before intensifying into a tropical storm near the Qiongzhou Strait on June 5. Ewiniar proceeded to stall over the region as steering currents collapsed, making landfall over the Leizhou Peninsula and later over northern Hainan. Ewiniar accelerated to the northeast on June 7 and moved back over open sea, allowing it to strengthen slightly and reach peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h (47 mph) and a central pressure of 998 hPa. The storm made landfall in eastern Guangdong shortly thereafter and weakened into a tropical depression on June 8. The system ultimately dissipated east of Taiwan on June 11.
Tropical Storm Rumbia was a rather weak but very destructive tropical cyclone that caused widespread and disastrous flooding in East China in August 2018. The twenty-second officially recognized tropical cyclone of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Rumbia developed from an area of low pressure that developed southeast of the Ryukyu Islands on August 13. Favorable environmental conditions supported development of the low into a tropical depression by August 15. At 12:00 UTC that day, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Rumbia, which refers to the Sago palm. Initially moving northward, the cyclone turned westward in response to a building ridge to its northeast while slowly strengthening, reaching its peak intensity with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 85 km/h (50 mph) on August 16. At 20:05 UTC that day, the storm made landfall in Shanghai at peak intensity, maintaining its strength as it moved inland due to ample environmental moisture. However, Rumbia began to weaken as it continued further inland, degenerating into a tropical depression on August 17 shortly before becoming extratropical over central China. The extratropical remnants of Rumbia accelerated northeastward into the Russian Far East, where they dissipated on August 23.
The Pearl River Basin is one of China's largest river basins, located in South China within total area approximately 453,700 square kilometers in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, and part of Northeastern Vietnam.
In early June 2020, heavy rains caused by the regional rainy season led to floods severely affecting large areas of southern China including the Yangtze basin and its tributaries. Rains and floods extended to central and eastern China during July and were described as the worst since at least 1998.
Several floods struck China starting in June 2021, most of them caused by heavy rainfalls in different areas. According to the World Meteorological Organization, such heavy rains are frequently a result of climate change. The most notable floods were the 2021 Henan floods, which left 398 dead or missing.
Several floods struck China starting in July 2023, most of them caused by heavy rainfalls in different areas. The most notable floods were the 2023 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Heavy rain and Northeast china heavy rain, which left at least 81 dead and 34 missing.
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