In 2023, the effects of the climate crisis have come into sharp focus. Much of the northern hemisphere endured a blistering heatwave, while other countries were inundated with torrential rain and catastrophic flooding. A number of climate records – some unofficial – tumbled in recent weeks. The Guardian spoke to four people from Hawaii, India, China and the Middle East directly affected by extreme weather events The Guardian
Tag: Extreme weather
China warns of disease outbreaks in flood-hit areas as death toll rises
China has warned of crop and animal diseases breaking out as floodwaters retreated from rural areas in the north, while some cities struggled to restore drinking water supplies after the worst flooding in six decades which have left more than 30 dead. Hebei province, which shares a border with the capital Beijing, was struck by more than a year’s rainfall last week from storms that followed Typhoon Doksuri, affecting autumn crops and damaging agricultural equipment. It comes as the Beijing Daily newspaper reported that there had been 33 deaths from…
China floods: at least 14 killed after torrential rain in north-east
At least 14 people are dead after torrential rain hit China’s north-eastern Jilin province, state media has reported, in the latest fatalities from more than a week of weather-related disasters across the country. China has been hit with record heavy rains in recent weeks, with Beijing saying on Friday that natural disasters had caused 147 deaths or disappearances last month. A further 14 deaths and one missing person were reported on Sunday by state-run broadcaster CCTV, citing local authorities, after heavy rain in the north-eastern city of Shulan. Rescuers transfer…
Anger in China over plan to use cities as ‘moat’ to save Beijing from floods
Chinese social media users have reacted angrily to comments from a local Communist party official suggesting that the city of Zhuozhou and other flood-hit areas near Beijing should be used as a “moat for the capital”. Ni Yuefeng, the Communist party secretary for Hebei, a province that borders the capital on three sides, made the comments after visiting flooded areas earlier this week. Typhoon Doksuri has ripped through north-east China, destroying homes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. One of the worst-hit cities is Zhuozhou, home to…
Weather tracker: Typhoons Talim and Doksuri batter China
China has been battered by two typhoons in recent weeks that have caused severe flooding across the east coast. Typhoon Talim hit the south on 17 July, with gusts of 85mph (137km/h), according to the Guangdong weather bureau. Days later, on 28 July, Typhoon Doksuri struck Fujian province on China’s south-eastern coast with gusts above 100mph. Strong winds tore down trees and spread large amounts of debris, but it was heavy rain that caused the biggest problems as soils were already saturated. Doksuri then travelled north, triggering red alerts for…
Huge sinkhole opens up in China after catastrophic flooding – video report
Typhoon Doksuri swept northwards over China, bringing heavy rainfall to Beijing and the surrounding areas. Days of torrential downpours triggered catastrophic flooding, destroying roads and trapping residents across the region. State media reports at least 21 deaths caused by the floods, as authorities expect floodwaters to take a month to recede in the worst affected areas. Locals teamed with the military to evacuate residents who had been trapped inside their homes since the rain began. Footage circulating on social media shows cars being swept away and collapsed roads. The extreme…
Severe rainfall from Typhoon Doksuri causes floods across northern China – video
Typhoon Doksuri has continued to wreak havoc across northern China, with days of severe rainfall across Beijing and the neighbouring Hubei province leaving entire cities inundated with flood water. At least 21 people have been killed and an estimated 30 are missing across the affected region. Beijing recorded 74.48cm (29.3in) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday, the Beijing meteorological bureau said on Wednesday, the heaviest rain since records began almost 140 years ago. The city of Zhouzhou in the Hubei province, south-west of Beijing, is one of the worst-hit cities.…
Aftermath of Typhoon Doksuri brought Beijing floods, meteorologists explain
Summers in China are often wet, sometimes very wet, but nothing like the drenching that has engulfed Beijing and its neighbouring provinces this week. As Beijing authorities lifted the flood alert on Wednesday morning, after the city’s heaviest rainfall for 140 years, 21 people across the region were confirmed dead. Dozens more were missing. According to reports, almost a million people have been evacuated in the region. Rescue and recovery crews searched flooded streets in rubber dinghies for any trapped behind. Hundreds of flights were either delayed or cancelled at…
Heavy rain hits China around Beijing – in pictures
Heavy rain has hit China after Typhoon Doksuri, which has caused flooding that has destroyed roads, uprooted trees and knocked out power. Torrential rain in areas around Beijing has killed at least 20 people and left 27 missing. Thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in schools and other public buildings in suburban Beijing and in the nearby cities of Tianjin and Zhuozhou The Guardian
Beijing reports heaviest rain in 140 years as China denies sinking G20 climate talks
Rains that pummelled Beijing in recent days were the heaviest since records began 140 years ago, the city’s weather service has said, as China faced accusations that it had undermined key climate talks with other countries. Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, swept northwards over China after hitting southern Fujian province last week, following its battering of the Philippines. The average rainfall for the entire month of July was dumped on Beijing in just 40 hours, with heavy rains pummelling the capital and surrounding areas since Saturday. “The maximum [amount]…