On July 7th, after experiencing several days of scorching heat in Jinan, the temperature soared close to 40°C. However, in the afternoon of July 7th, sudden strong winds and heavy rain swept through many areas of Jinan, with Shandong province recording a total precipitation of 5.084 billion cubic meters by 5:00 pm. Netizens were astonished by the abrupt change in weather, with one commenting, “Just a few days ago we were nearly cooking in the heat, and now this rain is so heavy that we can’t even leave our homes.”
Videos circulating online captured the sky turning pitch black before the rain started, followed by strong winds, torrential rain, and instant street flooding. After the downpour, many trees were broken or uprooted, building walls were stripped off, and parked cars were damaged by falling objects.
Local residents described the situation as extraordinary, with one recalling, “At noon it was scorching hot, then at 2 pm the sky suddenly darkened, and a violent storm with lightning and strong winds erupted!… My roof started leaking.” Another resident mentioned, “I went downstairs to get a delivery, but the wind was so strong that I was blown from the second floor to the first, unable to control my movements, it was terrifying.”
One netizen witnessed a citizen falling off an electric bike during the storm, being swept away along with the bike by the current, fortunately, two passersby quickly came to the rescue. Mr. Lu, a witness, described the scene as chaotic, with the electric bike rider unable to stand up after the fall, being carried by the water flow. A truck driver and a delivery man rushed to help and together managed to rescue the person and the vehicle.
Mr. Zhao from Lixia District of Jinan shared with media that the rain lasted for over two hours with exceptionally strong winds. Within less than 10 minutes, the water on the streets rose above ankle level.
“I was riding my motorcycle trying to find shelter from the rain when I saw a tree next to me being blown down, narrowly missing me,” Zhao said. “After waiting for about an hour, when the rain subsided, I rode back and noticed many trees as thick as bowls being uprooted along the roadside.”
The fallen trees caused traffic congestion, as shown in the video shared by Mr. Zhao. In an effort to quickly clear the roads, many citizens gathered and chanted slogans as they collectively dragged a fallen tree to the side of the road.
The topic of “Jinan downpour” quickly surged to the top of Weibo’s hot search list. According to meteorological data, Shandong experienced intense rainfall on July 7th, with the total precipitation reaching 5.084 billion cubic meters by 5 pm, equivalent to 424 “Daming Lakes” based on the storage volume of Jinan’s Daming Lake, which holds 1.2 million cubic meters of water.
While the rainfall alleviated the prolonged high temperatures, it is predicted that the heat will return after July 8th and persist until around the 20th of the month, with temperatures in some areas possibly exceeding 35°C.