More than 115,000 residents across Shaanxi province in northwestern China have been evacuated and relocated to safe shelter following widespread torrential downpours that triggered rising river levels, flash flooding, and severe risks of landslides. Emergency response teams and local administrative personnel coordinated the mass transfer of 49,925 households, representing 115,756 individuals, away from high-risk mountain slopes, river valleys, and low-lying settlements prone to extreme weather disasters, according to provincial authorities and local state media reports issued on Tuesday.
The latest wave of severe convective weather delivered light to moderate rainfall across northern Shaanxi, western Guanzhong, and western regions of southern Shaanxi between Monday and Tuesday, while eastern Guanzhong and central-eastern portions of southern Shaanxi were battered by heavy to extreme downpours. Weather monitoring stations registered rainfall across 100 counties and districts throughout the province. Luonan, Tongguan, and Baihe counties suffered the most intense precipitation during the deluge. Shipo monitoring station in Luonan recorded the highest localized rainfall at 136.4 millimeters, followed by Dongtongyu station in Tongguan county at 125.2 millimeters and Sixin station in Baihe county at 100.6 millimeters.
The sustained atmospheric runoff generated significant hydrological surges across major regional drainage systems, including the Hanjiang, Weihe, Danjiang, and Yiluo river basins. Hydrological tracking data confirmed that 28 rivers monitored across 40 distinct recording stations registered a combined total of 47 flood crests during the storm period. Two key hydrological monitoring stations briefly breached critical flood warning baselines before surging waters gradually receded below emergency thresholds.
In response to continuing atmospheric instability, the Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Observatory renewed orange weather warnings for both heavy rainstorms and severe convective activity on Tuesday morning. Forecasters warned that a secondary wave of intense precipitation is expected to move across the region, bringing additional heavy rainfall through Wednesday afternoon. Meteorological projections indicate that several districts in eastern Guanzhong, eastern southern Shaanxi, and southern northern Shaanxi face impending thunderstorms, short-duration high-intensity downpours delivering hourly rainfall rates between 20 and 50 millimeters, and localized severe gales exceeding force eight winds.
The Shaanxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management directed local municipal authorities to maintain heightened vigilance and expand site inspections across known geological hazard zones. Emergency officials emphasized that the risk of secondary geological disasters, such as sudden mudslides, hillside soil slips, flash floods, and urban waterlogging, often persists well after rainfall subsides due to ground saturation. Authorities urged immediate evacuation orders for any remaining residents situated in vulnerable geographical zones and instructed disaster response units to clear drainage channels and secure critical infrastructure.
To coordinate rescue efforts and disaster mitigation strategies, the Shaanxi provincial government convened an emergency flood control conference on Tuesday. Provincial leadership called on all municipal departments to strengthen precautionary measures, pre-position relief supplies, continuously monitor hydrological shifts, and ensure real-time communication protocols remain active as severe weather conditions persist across the province.
