Heavy rains kill 6 in China's south, disaster alerts issued

By Reuters May 19, 2025 | 06:32 pm PT

File photo of men covering themselves in rain gear in Beijing, China, on April 18, 2025. Photo by AP

Heavy rain in China’s southern Guangdong and Guangxi provinces killed six people and left several missing at the weekend as the authorities issued alerts for severe rain, mountain flooding and geological disasters in the south of the country.

China’s National Meteorological Centre issued multiple warnings at the weekend of heavy rain in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong and the north-western province of Xinjiang from May 18 to 19, said the official Xinhua news agency.

A yellow alert was issued in parts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, indicating a relatively high risk of mountain flooding, Xinhua added.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Chinese meteorological data shows 2024 was the warmest year for the country since comparable records began more than six decades ago, the second straight year in which milestones were broken.

Warmer weather in 2024 was accompanied by stronger storms and higher rainfall, and led to spikes in power consumption in the world's second-largest economy.

State broadcaster CCTV said heavy rain was also expected from May 19 to 20 in areas including the far western region of Xinjiang along the Tianshan Mountains.