China activates yellow rainstorm warning in multiple areas

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) of China issued a yellow rainstorm warning on Sunday morning, forecasting heavy rainfall across multiple regions from 8:00 am Sunday to 8:00 am Monday. 

Areas expected to be affected include parts of the Sichuan Basin, southeastern Gansu, southwestern Shaanxi, western Chongqing, eastern Hubei, western Zhejiang, northwestern Fujian, northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu, northern and southern Shandong, southeastern Hebei and eastern Liaoning, with some areas likely to experience torrential rainfall of 100-300 millimeters and some areas receiving extreme precipitation of 250-300 millimeters, according to NMC.

The weather system is expected to bring short-duration heavy downpours with hourly rainfall intensities reaching 30-50 millimeters and potentially exceeding 80 millimeters in some locations, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. Authorities have advised residents in the affected regions to take precautions against potential flooding and weather-related hazards, NMC said.

During the latest wave of heavy rainfall, Rongjiang county, Southwest China's Guizhou Province has been hit hardest.

According to the NMC, rainfall across Guizhou significantly weakened from the night of Saturday to the daytime of Sunday, with only scattered showers or thunderstorms in the southern and western regions. From the night of Sunday to Monday, moderate to heavy rain is expected in areas of central-western and northern Guizhou, with some townships potentially experiencing torrential rain. From July 1 to 2, the province will be predominantly cloudy with isolated showers or thunderstorms. Scattered rainfall is forecasted for the Duliu River basin (including Rongjiang River) before July 2.  

On Saturday afternoon, floodwaters once again surged into Rongjiang River, with aerial footage showing widespread inundation in urban areas. More than 40,000 residents have been evacuated, China National Emergency Broadcasting (CNEB) reported Sunday.

The National Development and Reform Commission, following an initial emergency allocation of 100 million yuan ($13.94 million) on Wednesday, approved another 100 million yuan on Saturday to fund urgent repairs to infrastructure and public services—such as transportation, water conservancy, healthcare and education — in heavily affected areas like Rongjiang, Congjiang and Sandu counties, according to CNEB.

In response to the severe flooding in Qiandongnan prefecture and other parts of Guizhou, central authorities elevated the national disaster relief emergency response to Level III on Saturday. A task force has been dispatched to assess the situation and assist local authorities in ensuring basic living conditions for affected residents. central authorities allocated 15,000 relief items — including folding beds, summer quilts, and emergency family kits — to support emergency relocation and livelihood assistance.  

Since the catastrophic flooding in Rongjiang county, rescue efforts have been intensified. As of Saturday, over 9,000 personnel have been deployed for flood relief. The Guizhou Armed Police Corps reinforced operations with an additional 1,000 personnel, reported CNEB.

At 4:00 pm on Saturday, the Liuzhou Hydrological Center issued a yellow flood alert, urging vigilance along rivers in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Rong'an county, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County and Liuzhou city. Due to upstream inflows from Guizhou, Sanjiang's flood control authorities activated a level IV emergency response at 3:00 PM. The Sanjiang Hydrological Station upgraded to a yellow alert at 1:00 pm, forecasting water levels to rise approximately 4 meters above warning marks in Meilin township within 12-13 hours and by 5 meters in Yangxi township within 17-18 hours, according to CNEB.