On August 18th (Monday), several flag areas in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia experienced heavy rainfall, resulting in at least 3 deaths and 3 missing persons.
From the afternoon of August 18th to the early hours of the 19th, Dongsheng District of Ordos City saw heavy rain with the maximum rainfall reaching 214 millimeters. Videos circulating online showed streets turned into rivers with many vehicles submerged in water.
According to comments left by many Inner Mongolian netizens on the video section, “The heavy rain started around 4 p.m. and lasted until about 3-4 a.m. It rained heavily continuously for five to six hours.” “The rain yesterday was too heavy and lasted a long time. The garage and corridors of residential areas were flooded.” “Last night, we were trapped in water near Wanda Plaza in Dongsheng for six hours. We were almost exhausted and freezing to death.” “I was in Dongsheng District for travel, and it took me over two hours to travel just 400 meters back to the hotel near Wanda Plaza.”
Some also mentioned, “Hohhot, Baotou, Ordos, and Wuhai were all affected by flooding. Floods are causing disasters everywhere.” “It’s been over fifty years since northern regions have seen water this severe. There was no preparation at all, and the losses this year are tremendous.”
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, in the early hours of the 19th, three individuals were found dead in Dongsheng District of Ordos City due to being trapped in water. Additionally, from the 18th to the 19th, Dalad Banner also experienced heavy rainfall. As of 10:30 a.m. on the 19th, the heavy rain had led to the deaths of 3 individuals in Dongsheng District and 3 people missing in Dalad Banner.
Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s habit of concealing disaster situations, the actual circumstances may be even more severe.
According to the China Meteorological Administration’s forecast on August 18th, over the next five days, under the combined influence of warm and humid air transportation from the periphery of the subtropical high and cold air, areas in eastern Qinghai, the middle and eastern parts of Gansu, northern Shaanxi, northeastern regions, the central and northern parts of North China, the Hetao and eastern parts of Inner Mongolia, and other areas may experience showers or thunderstorms. Some areas may see accumulated rainfall of 40 to 80 millimeters, with parts of Inner Mongolia, North and Central North China expecting local rainfall amounts exceeding 150 millimeters, accompanied by short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, strong winds, or hail. The maximum hourly rainfall could reach 40 to 60 millimeters, with some areas experiencing over 80 millimeters.
Chief forecaster at the China Meteorological Administration, Xu Jun, mentioned that the main impact period of precipitation is from the night of the 18th to the 19th, and from the 20th to the 22nd, with some areas experiencing intense and localized heavy rainfall, making it prone to small-scale heavy precipitation occurrences.