Torrential rain wreaked havoc in southern China, leading to widespread flooding and the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the country’s most densely populated province. A waterspout even made a brief appearance in Hong Kong, adding to the weather chaos as forecasters issued warnings of potentially severe flooding.
The relentless rain has been drenching Guangdong, home to approximately 127 million residents, since last week. The situation escalated over the weekend, particularly affecting the northern part of the province and the Pearl River Delta in the south, encompassing major cities like Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Yingde, a city in northern Guangdong, bore the brunt of the downpour, receiving nearly twelve inches of rain from Friday to Sunday. Reports from China Daily indicated that close to 20,000 individuals were evacuated, with nine rivers on the brink of overflowing.
In Guangzhou, the Longxue neighborhood experienced a deluge of almost five inches of rain within a span of four hours on Sunday morning, marking the highest rainfall in the province.
The Beijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, swelled on Saturday night, prompting alerts from China’s Ministry of Water Resources. With the continuous rainfall, the river faced the looming threat of a potentially catastrophic flood until Monday.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, a waterspout was spotted over the water by the local meteorological agency on Sunday morning. Although no damage was reported, forecasters cautioned about strong winds and potential flooding risks.
The heavy rain also impacted regions in the neighboring provinces of Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Fujian on Sunday, exacerbating the weather woes.
The forecast indicated that the most intense rainfall would shift from the north to the east of Guangdong on Monday, with some areas expecting up to ten inches of rain within 24 hours. The China Weather Network anticipated a gradual easing of the rainfall by Tuesday.
Thunderstorms and heavy showers were also predicted for Hong Kong on Monday, adding to the turbulent weather conditions in the region.
Source: www.nytimes.com