Heavy rain leaves southwest China under water; more storms on horizon

By Reuters

June 24, 2025 11:35 AM UTC Updated ago

BEIJING, June 24 (Reuters) – Vulnerable communities were told to seek refuge on higher ground as multiple rivers burst their banks after days of rain in China’s flood-hit province of Guizhou, the southwestern end of a seasonal rain belt that stretches all the way to Japan.

At least two riverside cities – Congjiang and Rongjiang – each with a population of over 300,000, on Tuesday told residents on the banks of fast-rising rivers and in low-lying areas to flee.

Sign up here.

The mountainous province of Guizhou and other parts of southern China have been battered by heavy rains since last week as the annual East Asia monsoon kicked into high gear, breaking rainfall records in parts of China.

While China is no stranger to summer floods, some scientists warn that climate change is ushering in heavier and more frequent rain. Massive flooding could trigger unforeseen “black swan” events with extreme consequences such as dam collapses, government officials say.

On a highway to Rongjiang on Tuesday, a viaduct collapsed after a landslide toppled concrete columns and sent one section of the road crashing down the hillside, local media reported.

A cargo truck that had stopped in time as the section ahead of it fell away was perched perilously over the edge while its driver waited to be rescued, a video shared on social media showed.

In other parts of Guizhou, many highway sections were blocked by landslides or were hit by cave-ins.

In cities such as Rongjiang, flooded streets paralysed local traffic and low-lying areas including underground garages and shopping mall basements were under water.

More rain is expected over the next few days, state meteorologists forecast, warning that provinces, including Guizhou, hit by overlapping storms should be especially on their guard.

In contrast, provinces north of the seasonal rain belt such as Henan, Shandong and Hebei, as well as the capital Beijing, sweltered in temperatures just shy of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

In an annual report , opens new tab on Monday, the World Meteorological Organization under the United Nations cautioned that Asia was warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fuelling more extreme weather and exacting a heavy toll on the region.

Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Saad Sayeed

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Climate & Energy

Climate Change

Purchase Licensing Rights

Read Next

Climate & Energy category Mauritius seeks investors for floating power plant to meet energy demand

2:04 PM UTC · Updated ago

Climate & Energy category In Chile’s Atacama, world’s driest desert, growing lettuces with fog

11:10 AM UTC · Updated ago

Climate & Energy category Trump tariffs fan calls by European metal producers for scrap export curbs

12:32 PM UTC · Updated ago

Climate & Energy category Record renewables capacity falls short of global target, REN21 says

5:33 AM UTC · Updated ago

Sustainability

Italian regulator fines Eni and its plastics unit 32 million euros for market abuse

Boards, Policy & Regulation category · June 24, 2025 · 2:55 PM UTC · ago

Italy’s antitrust authority said on Tuesday it had imposed fines exceeding 32 million euros ($37 million) on energy company Eni and its plastics unit Novamont for abusing a dominant market position in the production of plastic bags.

Boards, Policy & Regulation category US approves AstraZeneca, Daiichi’s treatment for lung cancer

2:53 PM UTC · Updated ago

Boards, Policy & Regulation category Spain says BBVA must keep Sabadell separate for three years as takeover condition

2:32 PM UTC · Updated ago

Climate & Energy category Mauritius seeks investors for floating power plant to meet energy demand

2:04 PM UTC · Updated ago

Legal category Anthropic wins key ruling on AI in authors’ copyright lawsuit

1:50 PM UTC · Updated ago

Read More