On August 4th, floods broke out in multiple areas in Guangdong, China. Witnesses reported that many people were washed away and some died in Dinghu Mountain, Zhaoqing. However, official casualty figures have not been reported yet.
Videos uploaded by netizens showed flooding in Zhaoqing on August 4th, with the lobby of a hotel in Dinghu Mountain submerged. People witnessed many being swept away by the water, and even security guards in the parking lot being carried away by the floods, with some being electrocuted in the water. It was reported that the water reached the first floor, washing away goods.
One video recorder mentioned that a month ago, a person drowned in this tunnel, and the government sealed off the area, leading to the water from the mountains having nowhere to go. This resulted in over 1 million worth of goods in his warehouse being soaked, potentially leading to bankruptcy.
On the evening of that day, there was sudden heavy rainfall in the Duanzhou District and Dinghu District of Zhaoqing. The floods in the areas of the Guangshang Vocational University, Zhaoqing College, Beiling Mountain, and Dinghu Mountain were devastating.
According to reports from Jiemu News on the evening of August 4th from 8:00 to 22:00, heavy to torrential rain fell across Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province. This led to flooding in sections of Beiling Road in Duanzhou District and Shangshan Road in Dinghu District, causing some street-side businesses to be submerged.
Reports indicated that around 8:00 that evening, the low-lying sections from Dashu Village in Beiling Mountain, Duanzhou District, to Zhaoqing College in Zhaoqing were flooded. Simultaneously, heavy rainfall in the uphill roads of Dinghu Mountain in Dinghu District caused rapid water accumulation due to the steep slope.
On Weibo, some netizens questioned why the floods in Zhaoqing and Dinghu Mountain weren’t trending, commenting on the severity of the mud and water rushing down, expressing their shock.
Guangdong also experienced flooding and heavy rain in various parts.
On August 4th, Shuangyue Bay in Huidong County, Huizhou City, Guangdong was flooded, with netizens lamenting the loss of vehicles due to the challenging circumstances.
Official information from Huizhou stated that from 8:00 to 18:00 on August 4th, five rivers and five hydrological stations across Huizhou City exceeded the warning water levels, such as the Yonghan River Yonghan Station in Longmen County, and the Batang River Batang Station in Boluo County.
On the morning of August 5th, videos from netizens showed Dongguan, Guangdong submerged overnight, with vehicles completely flooded. Online comments mentioned physical stores collapsing due to the flooding.
The Dongguan Meteorological Department noted that due to continuous heavy rainfall upstream, the water level at the Tangxia Station of Shima River in Tangxia Town, Dongguan, reached 19.22 meters by 5:00 on August 5th and was still rising. It was forecasted that the Tangxia Station would reach a peak water level of around 21.3 meters in the morning to the late morning on the same day. The red flood warning was issued for the Shima River Tangxia Station by the Guangdong Hydrological Bureau Dongguan Hydrological Monitoring and Forecasting Center on August 5th.
The Guangdong Weather website indicated that the province seemed to be stuck in an endless cycle of rain, with torrential rains expected to continue from the 4th to the 6th of August. Shenzhen was expected to face the strongest rainfall of the year so far.
Late on August 4th, Shenzhen experienced thunderstorm rain, with videos showing the difficulties faced by residents due to the rising waters, prompting some to wake up and move their vehicles amid the difficult conditions.
Around 4:00 on August 5th, Shenzhen issued its first city-wide red flood warning signal since Typhoon “Mangkhut” in 2018. Currently, the city has been downgraded to a yellow flood warning. The Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory reminded the public to be aware of possible local flooding and mountain torrents that could be triggered by heavy rainfall.
According to official forecasts, due to the influence of the southwest warm and humid air currents, from August 4th to 6th, most parts of Guangdong and Guangxi will experience heavy to torrential rains, with some areas facing extremely heavy rains. The main rivers in the Pearl River Basin, such as the West River main stream and its tributaries Liujiang, Guijiang, Yujiang, Hejiang, as well as Beijiang, Dongjiang, and Hanjiang, are expected to experience rising water levels, where some rivers in the heavy rain areas may have floods exceeding warning levels.