On October 1, 2026, earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher struck Qinghai Haixi Prefecture, Yibin City in Sichuan, and Baotou City in Inner Mongolia. This followed a series of seismic activities in six provinces of mainland China from September 26 to 30, with a total of 13 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher, including four earthquakes of magnitude 4 or higher.
During the National Day holiday in mainland China, two cold air masses successively swept across the country, bringing record low temperatures in many regions across the north and south. More than ten southern provinces experienced rainfall, with southwestern regions experiencing continuous overcast and rainy weather.
According to the official measurements from the China Earthquake Networks Center, on October 1, 2026, at 16:15, a 3.2-magnitude earthquake struck Delingha County in Qinghai Haixi Prefecture, with a depth of 10 kilometers.
At 13:38 on October 1, 2026, Yibin City, Sichuan, experienced a 3.9-magnitude earthquake in Gaohua County, with a depth of 7 kilometers.
Another earthquake, registering at a magnitude of 3.3, occurred in Darhan Mumingan Unity Banner in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, at 09:26 on October 1, 2026, with a depth of 20 kilometers.
Prior to the National Day holiday, between September 26 and 30, 2026, Qinghai, Yunnan, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, and Xinjiang experienced 13 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher, including four earthquakes of magnitude 4 or higher.
On September 30, 2026, at 19:21, a 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Direct Administration Zone of Qinghai Haixi Prefecture, with coordinates at 37.88 degrees north latitude and 95.58 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
On September 30, 2026, at 18:31, a 4.3-magnitude earthquake hit Panlong District in Kunming, Yunnan, with a depth of 10 kilometers, causing strong tremors in the city center.
At 00:03 on September 30, 2026, Yibin City, Sichuan, witnessed a 3.1-magnitude earthquake in Gaohua County, with a depth of 7 kilometers.
On September 29, 2026, at 21:26, Arshaan Zuoq Banner in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, experienced a 3.7-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometers.
At 02:29 on September 28, 2026, Ninglang County in Lijiang City, Yunnan, reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurring at a depth of 8 kilometers.
In addition, on September 28, 2026, at 00:43, Xinghai County in Hainan Prefecture of Qinghai experienced a 4.8-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Moreover, on September 27, 2026, at 20:02, Feidong County in Hefei City, Anhui, felt a 3.1-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometers.
On September 27, 2026, at 02:31, Channing County in Yibin City, Sichuan, encountered a 3.9-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 5 kilometers.
On September 26, 2026, at 16:31, Shaya County in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, was struck by a 3.7-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 25 kilometers.
Furthermore, on September 26, 2026, a series of earthquakes hit Gaohua County in Yibin City, Sichuan, with magnitudes of 3.4, 4.4, 3.4, and 4.5, each at different depths ranging from 5 to 6 kilometers.
According to the China Weather Network’s report on October 1, 2026, the recent cold air outbreak has caused temperatures to drop significantly in various regions across northern China, with some areas experiencing a decrease of 6 to 16 degrees Celsius.
The cold air will continue moving east and southward during the National Day holiday, resulting in a temperature drop of 4 to 8 degrees Celsius in regions such as the Huang-Huai, Yangtze, South of the Yangtze River, and Northern parts of South China, with localized drops of around 10 degrees Celsius. From October 3 to 4, another cold air mass is expected to move southward, leading to temperature fluctuations in northern regions, with Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, North China, and some parts of Northeast China experiencing an 8 to 10-degree Celsius drop alongside strong northerly winds of 4 to 6 on the Beaufort scale, reaching 7 to 8 in gusts.
As a result of consecutive cold air masses, record low temperatures are anticipated in many regions in both northern and southern China. Major cities like Harbin, Changchun, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Wuhan, and Hangzhou are forecasted to set new low records for both high and low temperatures. Some areas may witness a low temperature of 10 to 11 degrees Celsius by October 6.
Anticipated heavy rainfall in southern regions continues until October 5, with southwestern areas experiencing continuous overcast and rainy conditions, while areas in the Jiangnan and South China regions may face severe convective weather. From October 2 to 4, a precipitation process is expected to move from west to east in North China and Northeast China.
On October 1, 2026, provinces including Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian witnessed medium to heavy rainfall. Counties in Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian recorded heavy rainfall and some areas even experienced torrential rain.
By October 2, 2026, heavy rainfall spread to Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Fujian, as well as regions in Inner Mongolia and Tibet, with some areas in Guizhou experiencing localized heavy rainfall.
On October 3, 2026, central and southern regions including Guizhou, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Guangdong, as well as Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Tibet are forecasted to receive moderate to heavy rainfall. Certain areas in western Hunan, southern Guizhou, and northwestern Guangxi may experience localized heavy rainfall.
During the early part of the holiday season in Guangdong (October 1 to 3), thunderstorms are expected to increase, with the possibility of heavy or torrential rain in some areas, accompanied by strong thunderstorm winds of about grade 8.
During the period from 20:00 on October 1 to 20:00 on October 2, parts of northern Guangxi, southern Guizhou, and western Yunnan are at a higher risk of geological disasters such as landslides and mudflows (yellow alert).