Relentless rainstorms have battered central China’s Hunan province and neighboring regions over the past week, with forecasters warning that more downpours are likely through the end of June.

Since June 18, severe weather has already triggered flash floods, river overflows, and widespread urban waterlogging, displacing tens of thousands of people across several provinces including Hunan and Hubei, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Authorities remain on high alert as saturated ground and swollen rivers increase the risk of further flooding and landslides.

Data from the Hunan provincial meteorological observatory show that between June 18 and 23, the province recorded an average rainfall of 99.7 millimeters, ranked as the 14th most extreme rainfall event in terms of intensity since records began in 1961. As of June 21, more than 400,000 residents across seven cities and prefectures in Hunan had been impacted.

Northern and northwestern Hunan have witnessed the heaviest rains, including Zhangjiajie, Changde, and Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

Badagongshan Town, 135 km northwest of the famous Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, was the hardest hit, experiencing 676 millimeters of rainfall over the five days and inundating neighborhoods in low-lying areas.

Town official Tang Yunping told domestic media that while the area is not river-adjacent, the sudden downpour overwhelmed the drainage system, leading to severe flooding.

“Many elderly villagers said they had never seen such flooding in their lifetimes,” Tang said.

In Longshan County, northwest of Zhangjiajie, tragedy struck on June 20 when three residents trapped in a flooded underground garage drowned. The county saw 430.6 millimeters of rain in 24 hours — a record-breaking event in the region that caused the local Guoli River to surge by 9.67 meters, exceeding historic highs.

The ongoing rainfall also triggered the worst flooding in the upper Lishui River, Sangzhi County, since 1998. On June 19, peak water levels reached 262.38 meters — 2.38 meters above the official flood control threshold.

In response, Hunan authorities issued meteorological disaster emergency alerts and swiftly evacuated nearly 95,000 residents from the most heavily affected areas. Key reservoirs were mobilized to intercept upstream floodwaters.

Beyond Hunan, the storms have also pummeled neighboring regions. As of June 21, nearly 300,000 residents in Hubei province have been impacted by floods, particularly in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, where some towns recorded over 250 millimeters of rainfall.

Though no casualties have been reported, estimated economic losses in Enshi alone reached 750 million yuan ($103 million) as of June 22, with 241 homes flooded, 5.6 kilometers of riverbanks damaged, and 4,536 hectares of farmland affected.

In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, cities such as Liuzhou, Baise, and Hechi suffered urban flooding after days of rainfall, with overflowing rivers and submerged roads disrupting daily life.

Extreme rainfall between June 21 and 22 caused more than 27 rivers nationwide to surpass warning flood levels — the most severe by over 3.71 meters. The Ministry of Water Resources has maintained a Level IV flood emergency response — the lowest level — across Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Sun Jun, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, attributed the deluge to abundant moisture from the Bay of Bengal and the western Pacific, which converged over the South China Sea and then moved northward into inland regions.

“As the warm, moist air from the south moved northward, a large cyclonic cold vortex in the upper atmosphere over northern China steered cold air at lower levels southward, where it met the southern airflow over central and eastern regions, ultimately forming a rain belt stretching for thousands of kilometers,” Sun told domestic media.

With waterlogged soil and saturated rivers, authorities are warning of high risk for further flooding and landslides, especially in Hunan’s Lishui and Yuan river basins.

According to the National Meteorological Center, another wave of intense rainfall is forecast for June 24 to 27, likely moving west to east and affecting Sichuan and Henan provinces, as well as the Chongqing metropolis.

Editor: Tom Arnstein.

(Header image: An aerial view of flooded farmlands in Huaihua, Hunan province, June 22, 2025. VCG)