Published: 10:17 PM, 13 July 2026
Heavy floods submerge roads, vehicles in northern China
A person riding an electric scooter through a flooded road in Wenzhou, China, after heavy rain brought by Typhoon Bavi. (Image credit: Reuters)
Severe flooding in China’s northern Hebei province and north-eastern Liaoning province submerged roads and swept away cars while people swam and paddleboarded along neighbourhood streets, videos on social media showed.
Water levels rose to more than 2m on roads in Kuancheng, a county in Hebei, according to a resident’s account that was broadcast by local official media.
Kuancheng, home to around 240,000 people, is located on the banks of the Luan River.
Several cars were filmed crashing into one another in Kuancheng as they bobbed up and down along a waterlogged road before being carried away by the strength of the current.
The floods came after Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to strike China in 2026, brought heavy rain to the eastern coast and violent winds to the area’s densely populated cities, testing the country’s ability to cope with extreme weather.
The authorities warned that the storm would dump torrential rain across the provinces of Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui, exacerbating flood risks in areas that had already been soaked by earlier downpours.
Around 1,800 villagers in Kuancheng were stranded, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The authorities said that relocating and resettling residents was their top priority.
In Liaoning, the authorities raised the red alert for flash floods, warning of very high risks.
“During a red alert for heavy rain, all work stoppages, business closures and gatherings must be fully implemented,” the Hebei authorities said in a statement on the super app WeChat.
Videos on social media platform RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, showed a person swimming backstroke down a road where rows of parked cars had only their roofs visible above the water.
Another clip on RedNote showed someone standing on a paddleboard to navigate the flooded streets.
Many trains in Shenyang city have been suspended, China Railway said on July 13, with more than 30 railway sections affected.
Schools have also been closed across many areas, including the north-eastern province of Jilin.
Some areas in north-eastern China will experience thunderstorms or hailstorms of Force 8 or above, CCTV reported, citing the country’s Central Meteorological Observatory.
“In some areas of central and northern Jiangsu, thunderstorm winds of level 10 or above will occur, with maximum winds reaching Force 11 or above, and tornadoes may occur locally,” it said.
Force 11 winds can reach up to 117kmh.
Forty-six rivers nationwide are experiencing flooding above warning levels, CCTV reported, citing China’s Ministry of Water Resources.
>> Source: The Straits Times
Water levels rose to more than 2m on roads in Kuancheng, a county in Hebei, according to a resident’s account that was broadcast by local official media.
Kuancheng, home to around 240,000 people, is located on the banks of the Luan River.
Several cars were filmed crashing into one another in Kuancheng as they bobbed up and down along a waterlogged road before being carried away by the strength of the current.
The floods came after Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to strike China in 2026, brought heavy rain to the eastern coast and violent winds to the area’s densely populated cities, testing the country’s ability to cope with extreme weather.
The authorities warned that the storm would dump torrential rain across the provinces of Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui, exacerbating flood risks in areas that had already been soaked by earlier downpours.
Around 1,800 villagers in Kuancheng were stranded, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The authorities said that relocating and resettling residents was their top priority.
In Liaoning, the authorities raised the red alert for flash floods, warning of very high risks.
“During a red alert for heavy rain, all work stoppages, business closures and gatherings must be fully implemented,” the Hebei authorities said in a statement on the super app WeChat.
Videos on social media platform RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, showed a person swimming backstroke down a road where rows of parked cars had only their roofs visible above the water.
Another clip on RedNote showed someone standing on a paddleboard to navigate the flooded streets.
Many trains in Shenyang city have been suspended, China Railway said on July 13, with more than 30 railway sections affected.
Schools have also been closed across many areas, including the north-eastern province of Jilin.
Some areas in north-eastern China will experience thunderstorms or hailstorms of Force 8 or above, CCTV reported, citing the country’s Central Meteorological Observatory.
“In some areas of central and northern Jiangsu, thunderstorm winds of level 10 or above will occur, with maximum winds reaching Force 11 or above, and tornadoes may occur locally,” it said.
Force 11 winds can reach up to 117kmh.
Forty-six rivers nationwide are experiencing flooding above warning levels, CCTV reported, citing China’s Ministry of Water Resources.
>> Source: The Straits Times
