Days of unprecedented heavy downpours around Beijing, China's capital, have triggered massive flooding and landslides, leaving at least 20 people dead and 27 missing. Authorities have deemed it the heaviest deluge in a decade, as the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri batter the area.
Two days of intense rain prompted the city to close tourist attractions and mass evacuate residents. The worst effects were felt in the city's outskirts, "where downpours overwhelmed riverbeds that usually stay dry for much of the year," The New York Times reported.
In Beijing, at least 11 people died, and 27 others were reported missing, per state broadcaster CCTV. An additional nine deaths were reported in the Hebei province just outside the city. Overall, the "sprawling megacity" saw "an entire month's worth of rainfall over 48 hours — an average 175.7 millimeters (nearly 7 inches)," per CNN Weather. In the western district where most of the deaths were reported, "the downpours were far worse," CNN added.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The storms are "marked by their long duration, large accumulative rainfall and high dangers of disaster," Fang Chong, a senior forecaster with China's Central Meteorological Observatory, told Xinhua, a state-run news agency. The deadly rain was caused by moist air that was pushed to the north by the recent typhoon, according to meteorologists in the area. The capital issued a "red alert" warning for residents in the most impacted districts to stay indoors.
While it's not abnormal for China to experience typhoons and heavy rainfall during the summer, experts warn that the frequency and severity of the annual rain season have been worsened by climate change, CNN reported.
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fallThe Week Recommends Get ready for pumpkin spice season with concerts from big-name artists
-
How to put student loan payments on pauseThe Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
Is Kash Patel’s fate sealed after Kirk shooting missteps?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The FBI’s bungled response in the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting has director Kash Patel in the hot seat
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programsThe Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
Canyons under the Antarctic have deep impactsUnder the radar Submarine canyons could be affecting the climate more than previously thought
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th testspeed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
NASA is moving away from tracking climate changeThe Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet underseaSpeed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
