Heavy rain around Beijing and across northern China killed two people and forced thousands to relocate as authorities warned of further widespread rain and the risk of disasters including landslides and flooding. Two people were dead and two missing in Hebei province, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday morning. Overnight rain dumped a record 145mm per hour on Fuping county in the industrial city of Baoding. China’s water ministry issued targeted flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, for floods from small and midsize rivers…
Tag: Extreme weather
Weather tracker: Fierce thunderstorms and big hailstones hit parts of Europe
This week, large parts of Europe have been affected by a series of intense thunderstorms, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and large hail. Central France was particularly badly affected by the severe weather, as powerful storm systems swept south-westward across the country. The departments of Loire and Puy-de-Dôme were among the hardest hit, experiencing significant damage from a particularly violent supercell thunderstorm that produced hailstones measuring up to 6cm in diameter – larger than ping-pong balls. The storm system also generated flash flooding, strong wind gusts, and reports of a…
China floods: four killed in Guangdong sparking concerns over extreme weather defences
Heavy rainstorms that swept across southern China over the weekend killed at least four people as floods swamped cities in the densely populated Pearl River Delta, state media reported. A search was under way for 10 others missing after record-breaking rains sparked concerns about the region’s defences against bigger deluges induced by extreme weather events. By Monday, about 110,000 people had been evacuated across the province, while 25,800 people were in emergency shelters, according to Xinhua. In Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, the government said the city had logged…
Millions at risk of floods in China’s Guangdong province after heavy rain
Major rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China’s Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people. Calling the situation “grim“, local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting water levels in a rare spike that only has a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, state broadcaster CCTV news said on Sunday. China’s water resource ministry issued an emergency advisory, CCTV reported. Guangdong officials urged…
Weather tracker: Contrasts in cold and heat break records in China
China’s Xinjiang region, in the far west of the country, experienced record-breaking low temperatures of -52.3C on 18 February, surpassing a 64-year-old record for the region. The figure was just shy of the lowest national temperature of -53C, which was recorded in the Heilongjiang region in January last year. The extreme weather has caused big disruption after the lunar new year celebrations, with blizzards and ice leaving people stranded on roads and railways. On the same day, Badu in the south of China recorded a maximum temperature of 38C, meaning…
Blizzards disrupt lunar new year travel for millions in China
Millions of people in China have had their annual visit home for lunar new year disrupted by blizzards and freezing rain, with delayed or cancelled transport leaving travellers stranded. Videos on social media showed people hacking away at thick layers of ice that have brought roads to a standstill as millions of people try to get home before spring festival, which starts on 10 February. The festival is China’s busiest travel period; for millions of urban workers, it is their only trip all year to their home towns, where they…
People unable to travel as extreme snow blizzards grip China before new year – video
People were rescued from buildings that collapsed under the weight of snow as extreme weather and blizzards gripped China. Millions of people across the country have been unable to travel in the run-up to the Chinese new year amid severe weather conditions. More than 120 sections of major roads were closed because of heavy snowfall and hundreds of flights have been cancelled The Guardian
Weather tracker: Beijing experiences its coldest December since 1951
The Chinese capital, Beijing, experienced its coldest December since records began in 1951, after a cold wave hit much of the country. Temperatures fell below -10C, alongside heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions at times. Northern and north-eastern parts of China experienced the coldest temperatures, as cold air moved southwards from the Arctic, with some areas reaching lows of -40C. The Beijing weather observatory recorded a period of more than 300 hours in which temperatures remained below freezing, which is the longest for December since records began 72 years ago. The…
News live: Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea, Farrell says
From 5h ago Sarah Basford Canales Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea Earlier this morning, trade minister Don Farrell left open the possibility Australia could deploy navy vessels to the Red Sea amid ongoing attacks against commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia. This week the US asked Australia to send a warship to the region as part of its duties as a member of the international naval security taskforce, the combined maritime forces. It comes as the Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthis warned…
Weather tracker: first snow of winter in Beijing causes widespread disruption
Heavy snowfall affected China last weekend in regions north of the Yangtze River, with Beijing experiencing its first snow of the season. As a consequence of the snow and ice, more than 180 bus routes were suspended across the city on Monday, with several trains and flights delayed or cancelled. Henan province, south of Beijing, had big falls over the weekend, with many areas recording depths of 100mm and even, in some places, up to 150mm. Shanxi province, to the south-west of Beijing, also saw some wintry conditions, with icy…