On Friday, portions of southwest China were battered by nonstop torrential rain, which caused flooding in several cities, covered highways, and partially submerged structures.
The city of Beihai in the Guangxi area recorded 453 millimetres (17.8 inches) of precipitation on Thursday during a particularly severe first round of summer rains known locally as “dragon boat water.” The China Meteorological Administration claims that during the month of June, that was a regional daily record.
Videos shared on social media showed half-submerged cars in flooded Beihai streets and water cascading down a stairway at one multi-story building as firemen rushed to save its occupants.
According to broadcaster CCTV, ferries from Beihai to the adjacent Weizhou island will be completely stopped between June 10 and 12. Additionally, the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of South China will see high winds and persistent heavy rain. As of 7 a.m. on Friday (2300 GMT Thursday), CCTV reported that the adjacent city of Yulin, west of Guangdong province, had experienced 35 hours of rain.
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Over 100 people were evacuated, according to the provincial firefighting service, and villages and towns in the vicinity were submerged by floodwaters. The meteorological service predicted that during the next several days, rain is expected to persist in southern China while abrupt thunderstorms are anticipated to impact the northeast.
