Catastrophic Losses in Northern China: At Least 30 Lives Lost Due to Torrential Rain and Landslides
In a dramatic turn of events, Beijing and its surrounding regions have been hit by unprecedented heavy rainfall and flooding during the summer of 2023. The municipal flood control headquarters in Beijing activated the highest level of flood-control emergency response mechanism on Monday, as the city and neighbouring areas grappled with the consequences of this natural disaster.
The heavy rainfall has been linked to a combination of seasonal weather patterns, including the summer monsoon and the subtropical high. These weather systems brought abundant heat and atmospheric instability, leading to an extreme accumulation of precipitation. In some areas, rainfall reached up to nearly a year's worth in just a few days. For instance, Beijing’s northern districts saw rainfall of up to 543.4 mm, close to 80-90% of their annual total occurring within days. Neighbouring Hebei province’s Xingtai city experienced over 1,000 mm in two days, double its yearly average.
The implications have been severe. Flooding and landslides have led to at least 33 deaths, with the highest casualty count, 28 deaths, occurring in the Miyun district. More than 80,000 residents have been evacuated due to the floods. Infrastructure has been heavily damaged, including washed-away cars, downed power poles, disrupted communications, and power outages affecting over 100 villages. Transport networks have suffered significantly, with flight cancellations at Beijing's airports and suspension of train and bus services in suburban areas. Cultural sites such as the Palace Museum have also temporarily closed.
Climate experts link these extreme weather events to climate change, noting that northern China’s usually dry region has seen a rise in record precipitation events in recent years due to global warming. Warming increases atmospheric moisture and energy, enhancing the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events. Xuebin Zhang, a climate scientist, remarked that the volume of rainfall was extremely intense and far beyond design expectations for local infrastructure, reflecting shifts in climate patterns.
The disaster has also affected neighbouring Hebei province, with a landslide in a village near the city of Chengde killing four people, and eight others are still missing. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, resulting in heavier downpours. For every 1C that Earth's atmospheric temperature rises, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere can increase by about 7%.
Experts warn that events like this are becoming stronger and more frequent in a rapidly warming world. A study published in March suggests that surface sea temperature warming and atmospheric moistening trends over the ocean are likely to generate a stronger typhoon, along with a more intense remnant circulation with enhanced precipitation over land later. This suggests increasing challenges for disaster preparedness as climate change intensifies extreme weather risks.
As the recovery efforts continue, it is crucial to support organisations providing climate coverage without advertising, such as the non-profit newsroom reporting on this disaster. Donations play a crucial role in supporting their operations, expanding their reach, and maintaining their editorial independence.
- The extreme rainfall and flooding experienced in Beijing and its surrounding areas during the summer of 2023 can be attributed to a combination of weather systems influenced by climate change, such as the summer monsoon and the subtropical high, which have brought heat, atmospheric instability, and an increase in heavy rainfall events.
- Xuebin Zhang, a climate scientist, stated that the volume of rainfall in the recent disaster was extremely intense and far beyond design expectations for local infrastructure, reflecting shifts in climate patterns due to global warming, which increases atmospheric moisture and energy, enhancing the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events.
- As the world continues to warm, experts predict that extreme weather events like the floods in Beijing and Hebei province will become stronger and more frequent, posing increasing challenges for disaster preparedness and response, highlighting the importance of supporting climate coverage without advertising, such as that provided by non-profit newsrooms, to stay informed and take action against climate change.
