Yunnan Zhaotong City was hit by widespread heavy rain and localized severe rainstorms from 7:00 on July 8th to 14:00 on July 9th, with Weixin County recording the highest rainfall of 254.4 millimeters, breaking the single-day record since the station was established in 1958. Several streets were flooded, leading to serious losses. The topic “Yunnan Zhaotong hit by severe rainstorms” trended on social media.
According to reports from “The Paper”, at 5:00 on July 9th, the Meteorological Bureau of Weixin County in Yunnan issued a rainfall report, with 9 observation stations experiencing heavy rainfalls ranging from 100 to 250 millimeters in a 24-hour period.
The rainfall report showed the following precipitation levels in Weixin County from 8:00 p.m. on July 8th to 5:00 a.m. on July 9th (in millimeters): heavy rain in 9 stations (Luo Bu 220.7, Ban Jiao 152.7, Weixin County Town 152.1, San Tao 123.9, Guo Jie Lou 118.6, Jiu Cheng 116, Chang An 109.2, Shui Tian 104.2, Jin Feng 103.3), and rainstorms in 5 stations (Da Tang 96.9, Shi Kan 93.3, Gao Tian 90.6, Shuang He Tian Chi 54.1, Gao Tian Wu Cheng 54.7).
The heavy rainfall in Zhaotong’s Weixin County resulted in a maximum hourly precipitation of 65.9 millimeters in Chang An Town. The continuous heavy rainfall caused 4 river stations to exceed the warning water levels and 3 to surpass the guaranteed water levels, leading to severe floods, landslides, and mudslides in some areas.
Numerous videos posted by netizens on social media showed that at 3:00 a.m. on July 9th, the water level of Zaxi River in Weixin County rose, flooding several streets in the urban area with multiple cars “floating” in the water.
At 8:28 a.m. on the 9th, the Weixin County authorities announced that certain areas in the urban region experienced power outages.
On that day, a total of 7,047 people in Zhaotong City were evacuated urgently.
Weixin County is located in the northeastern corner of Yunnan Province, bordering the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou, known as the “Chicken Crow Crossing Three Provinces.” With a total population of 458,000, of which 53,000 are from minority groups such as the Miao and Yi ethnicities. The county ranges from a minimum elevation of 480 meters to a maximum of 1897 meters, with the county seat at an elevation of 1175 meters, and an average annual rainfall of 1033 millimeters.
Preliminary statistics revealed that over 200 road collapses and damages occurred in Weixin County, with more than 40 road sections disrupted, totaling over 300 kilometers of damage. Several areas in the urban region experienced power outages, over 150 households were flooded, along with more than 100 storefronts and 5 parking lots, and around 1,500 vehicles were damaged. The heavy rainfall triggered over 20 landslides, more than 10 mudslides, extensive damage to crops, and over 500 livestock swept away. In Heilong Village of Luo Bu Town in Weixin County, two houses were destroyed by the rain, leaving 5 people missing.
Within 10 days, Zhaotong, Yunnan, encountered two severe rainstorms.
From the evening of June 30th to the early hours of July 1st, Yiliang County in Zhaotong, Yunnan, experienced heavy to torrential rain, with the highest recorded rainfall reaching 142.7 millimeters, resulting in severe floods in towns, surging rivers, flooded roads, and damaged houses. During the same period, Wujizhen in Yongshan County, Zhaotong City, was hit by rainstorms triggering mudslides, cutting off roads.
Videos captured by netizens showed that in Tang You section of Niujie Town, the guardrails were washed away by floodwater, causing a white van to be swept into the river, followed by a tricycle.
Local residents mentioned that the white van washed away was parked alongside the road yesterday and believed to be unoccupied.
Surveillance footage accurately documented the incident: at 6:17 a.m. on June 30th, the white van was swept into the river as floodwaters surrounded it, with half of the front submerged. After the collapse of the cement guardrail, two bicycles and a tricycle parked in front of the house were also carried into the river.
A shop owner near the scene stated to local media, “Due to flash floods, three shops by the river have suffered severe damages, and several cars have been washed into the river.”