Powerful flooding has overwhelmed communities in northern China, with roads completely submerged and vehicles swept away by raging floodwaters in Hebei and Liaoning provinces, according to videos circulating on social media.
In Kuancheng, a county in Hebei province home to roughly 240,000 residents, water rose to heights exceeding two meters on local roads, according to an account from a local resident that was broadcast by official local media. The county sits along the banks of the Luan River.
Social media footage captured multiple cars colliding with one another as they were tossed around on a flooded street in Kuancheng before being carried off entirely by the powerful current.
The disaster followed in the wake of Typhoon Bavi, described as the strongest storm to hit mainland China so far this year. The typhoon brought intense rainfall to the eastern coastline and fierce winds to densely packed urban areas, pushing the country’s emergency response systems to their limits.
Officials issued warnings that the storm would unleash torrential downpours across the provinces of Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui — compounding flood dangers in regions already saturated from earlier storms.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that approximately 1,800 villagers in Kuancheng found themselves stranded, with authorities declaring that moving and sheltering affected residents was the highest priority. In Liaoning, officials elevated the flood alert to red — the most severe level — citing extremely high risks of flash flooding.
Hebei authorities posted a warning on WeChat stating: “During a red alert for heavy rain, all work stoppages, business closures, and gatherings must be fully implemented.”
Remarkable footage shared on RedNote, a Chinese social media platform also known as Xiaohongshu, showed a person swimming backstroke down a street in Shenyang, Liaoning, where rows of parked cars were nearly fully submerged with only their rooftops visible. Another video from the same platform showed someone navigating the flooded streets while standing on a paddleboard.
China Railway announced Monday that train service in Shenyang has been largely suspended, with more than 30 railway segments impacted by the flooding.
Schools have shut down across multiple regions, including the northeastern province of Jilin.
CCTV, citing the country’s Central Meteorological Observatory, reported that parts of northeastern China could see thunderstorms or hailstorms reaching Force 8 or stronger.
“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,” the observatory warned. Force 11 winds can reach speeds as high as 117 kilometers per hour, or about 73 miles per hour.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources reported that 46 rivers across the country are currently experiencing water levels above official flood warning thresholds, according to CCTV.
