On July 3rd, a rare heavy rain hit the central urban area of Chengdu, causing leaks in Chengdu East Railway Station, severe flooding in multiple areas, and water seepage in the Chenghua and Yue Plaza Mall and some residents’ homes.
According to the Chengdu Meteorological Observatory, on the afternoon of July 3rd, the central urban area of Chengdu experienced historically heavy rainfall, with the largest daily rainfall in the city reaching 353.8 millimeters (at the Renmin Park in Qingyang District), surpassing the previous daily rainfall record in the central urban area’s “5+2 regions” of 267.4 millimeters on June 3, 2010. At 5:10 PM that day, the Chengdu Meteorological Observatory issued the first red rainstorm warning signal of the year, also the earliest red rainstorm warning signal in history. At 6 PM, the city initiated a level-three emergency response for flood prevention.
Videos shared by many netizens showed that due to the heavy rainfall, the central area of Chengdu turned into a vast expanse of water. Roads were heavily flooded, many vehicles were submerged, making transportation difficult, and some residents even used kayaks to navigate the streets. Many netizens commented on the frightening rain in Chengdu that day, with one saying, “The rain in Chengdu that day was indeed scary. My underground parking lot was flooded up to my shins.”
Reportedly, the heavy rain led to water accumulation on multiple roads in Chengdu, including Jiangxi Street, Zhaojuesi South Road, Shudu Avenue, and Qinglong Road, which have implemented temporary traffic controls.
Videos posted by netizens indicated that there were multiple leaks at Chengdu East Railway Station, with water overflowing into the waiting areas, making it akin to a “watery cave.”
A Ms. Li, who had just returned to Chengdu from out of town, told a news outlet that there was deep water at the exit of Chengdu East Railway Station, causing many high-speed trains to be delayed. “The water at the exit is at least 5 cm deep, enough to soak the shoes. The escalators were also out of service,” Ms. Li explained.
Mr. Wang, a resident, mentioned that when he left the East Railway Station, there was still seepage from the walls at the exit, with a significant amount of water flowing, leading to many passengers being stuck in stairwells, while sandbags were placed to allow safe passage.
Additionally, the Chenghua and Yue Plaza Mall in Chengdu experienced flooding, with videos showing water pooling inside the mall, cascading down staircases, prompting one netizen to joke, “The artificial waterfall here is top-notch.” Some netizens questioned, “Does this city not have a drainage system in place?”
A Chengdu resident shared a video showing water flowing out of electrical outlets due to the heavy rain. Multiple outlets in the person’s home continuously leaked water, leading to flooding on the floor.
On July 5th, the topic “Heavy rain in Chengdu causing electrical outlets to leak like a waterfall at home” trended as the number one hot search on Weibo.
Many netizens reacted, with one saying, “Wow, electrolyte water, huh?” Another commented, “The internet really shows me so many unbelievable things.” Concerns were also raised about the safety of the water leaking from the outlets and the quality of the building structure.
“Aren’t they afraid of electric shock?” “They even dare to touch it!” “Are renovations really this advanced now? Water and electricity combined.” “This is really scary.” “Shouldn’t they redo the wiring?”