On June 7, the first day of the college entrance examination (gaokao) in mainland China was accompanied by severe rainstorms in Chongqing. Streets in several areas were heavily flooded, with water levels reaching over two meters deep. Some houses and vehicles were submerged, and there were reports of an adult and a child being swept away by the floodwaters, fortunately rescued.
According to reports from multiple media outlets in mainland China, on the 7th of June, the regions of Hechuan District and Pengshui County in Chongqing experienced heavy rain, leading to 22 internal flooding points in Hechuan, affecting 18 roads and 4 residential areas. The deepest flooding was recorded at 2 meters in Longkou Tian, Heyangcheng Street in Hechuan.
By 1 p.m. on the 7th, a total of 422 people were evacuated urgently in Hechuan, and 287 people from 92 households were evacuated in 10 affected towns in Pengshui County.
Videos captured by local residents showed numerous vehicles submerged in water on the roads, with only the tops visible above water. In one video, an adult and a child were swept away by the strong currents. It was reported that both individuals were rescued and taken away by their family members.
A resident Mr. Xiang told “Cover News” that the heavy rain started around 1 a.m. that day, and by around 5 a.m., water had begun accumulating on the roads. “By around 7 a.m., it was quite deep, around one meter or so.” The rain persisted in the morning, and at its peak, the flooding reached over 2 meters deep.
The heavy rain coincided with the first day of the gaokao in mainland China, sparking concerns among netizens about the impact on students taking the exam. However, officials from the education committee in Hechuan District mentioned that this year, the examination centers were located in safe areas away from the heavily affected regions, and they had not received any abnormal feedback thus far.
Prior to this, on June 6, Shenzhen in Guangdong Province also experienced severe convective weather. Around 10 a.m. that day, a waterspout was spotted over Shenzhen Bay, followed by intensifying torrential rain in Longhua, causing flooding in several areas, including the Sam’s Club supermarket which was not spared from the inundation.
The China Meteorological Administration issued an orange warning for heavy rain on June 7th at 10 a.m., forecasting that from 2 p.m. on the 7th to 2 p.m. on the 8th, regions including Chongqing, Guizhou, southwestern Hubei, central and western Hunan, most parts of Guangxi, Guangdong, southern parts of Jiangxi, and southern parts of Zhejiang would experience heavy to torrential rain. Specifically, regions in the southern part of Chongqing, southern and western parts of Hunan, eastern and southern parts of Guizhou, northern and coastal parts of Guangxi, as well as coastal areas in the southern parts of Guangdong, could face severe downpours, with localized extremely heavy rainfall (250-330 mm) in parts of southeastern Guizhou and northern Guangxi. Additionally, these areas may also experience short-duration heavy rainfall (30-50 mm per hour, locally exceeding 80 mm), along with localized thunderstorm winds and severe convective weather.