Recently, Baqiao District in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, has been hit by continuous heavy rain, breaking local records for daily rainfall. The Children’s Park Station in Jintai District recorded a daily rainfall of 226.3 millimeters, the highest since its establishment. Flash floods have led to 5 deaths and 8 people missing.
The Shaanxi Baoji Flood Control Headquarters announced that from 7:00 on July 16 to 10:00 on July 17, Baoji experienced heavy to torrential rainfall, with an average precipitation of 89.8 millimeters. The main urban area witnessed its highest daily rainfall on record, with the Children’s Park Station in Jintai District recording 226.3 millimeters in a single day, the most ever since its establishment.
The Weibin Station saw a daily rainfall of 182.4 millimeters, surpassing the historical maximum daily rainfall since its inception; there were also record-breaking hourly rainfall intensity and daily total precipitation in Feng County. Multiple rivers in the city have exceeded flood warning levels, leading to flash floods breaching riverbanks. Weibin District and Feng County have been severely affected, while other areas in the county have also suffered varying degrees of damage.
In previous years, the average rainfall in July in Baoji was 104 millimeters.
On July 17, a reporter from “Upstream News” interviewed Mr. Yan, an eyewitness in Weibin District, Baoji City. According to him, “Last night (July 16), many cars were swept away by the water, I saw more than 20 vehicles submerged.”
As of 6:00 pm on July 18, the torrential rainfall and flooding have resulted in 5 deaths and 8 people missing. The Baoshan Railway line from Fengzhou to Qiliping is interrupted. Four national and provincial highways have been damaged and cut off, along with more than forty rural roads and 21 bridges.
According to the weather department’s forecast, from July 17 to July 20, southern Shaanxi Province will experience heavy to torrential rainfall, with some southwestern areas facing severe heavy rain and locally extreme downpours. This round of rain is characterized by extreme intensity and high disaster risks.