Monsoonal floods in South China and Hong Kong by Rob McElwee
Heavy rain and storms across a swathe of southern China including Hong Kong have lead to flooding with mudslides that have injured dozens and crippled transport.
In some places, nearly 305mm (12 inches) of rain has fallen over the past few days. Flash flooding triggered more than 40 landslides in the Hong Kong area alone. At Hong Kong International Airport, flooding severely disrupted traffic as muddy water flowed over the runways. More than 345 flights were cancelled during the peak of the heavy rain.
Heavy monsoonal rains have also been drenching other parts of South China. The Guangdong Province was hit by extreme rainfall with hailstorms which caused flooding and damage to hundreds of acres of crops. Severe thunderstorms affected Yichang City in Hubei where frequent lightning caused blackouts across parts of the city.
Although the recent rain across southern parts of China have been particularly severe, very heavy rain at this time of year is not unusual. During the summer, a southeast monsoon from the western Pacific Ocean and a southwest monsoon from the equatorial Indian Ocean blow onto the Chinese mainland producing the country’s heaviest rainfall of the year.
Many parts of southern China and Hong Kong remain on flood alert as more heavy rain is expected over the coming days. Authorities are warning residents of the risk of further mudslides.
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