China’s First Red Alert as Deadly Floods Hit Central China
China has issued its first Red Flash Flood Warning of the year as a powerful rainstorm system continues to lash central and eastern regions, with the southwestern municipality of Chongqing bearing the brunt of the devastation. At least three people have been killed and 17 others are missing after record-breaking rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides in Yongchuan District, according to Xinhua News.
Context
The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued the year’s highest-level warning at 18:00 on May 24, covering western Anhui and eastern Hubei provinces. The alert marks the first red-level warning of 2026 and signals an unusually early and severe start to China’s flood season, which follows a series of yellow and orange warnings issued earlier in May across multiple provinces.
Key Developments
The storm system began on the night of May 23 and is forecast to persist through May 27, with May 24-25 expected to be the peak period. The hardest-hit location is Yongchuan District in Chongqing, where the Chashan Bamboo Sea Street recorded an extraordinary 296.6mm of rainfall in just two hours between 02:00 and 04:00 on May 24 — the highest ever recorded in Yongchuan’s meteorological history. The maximum hourly rainfall reached 103.6mm.
According to CCTV News, 12 districts and counties across Chongqing have been hit by torrential rain. Nine rivers across 14 monitoring stations exceeded warning levels, with five rivers across eight stations surpassing guaranteed danger levels. An additional 54 rivers saw water level rises of 1-6 meters but remained below warning thresholds.
As of 14:30 on May 24, the disaster had claimed three lives and left 17 people missing in Yongchuan. By the afternoon, five of the missing had been located. Emergency responders evacuated 423 people and relocated 1,382 residents to safer areas, China Youth Daily reported from the frontlines.
“We got up at midnight and ran up the mountain; when dawn came, we ran back down,” said Hong Laihu, a 15-year-old survivor from Yongchuan, describing his escape from the floodwaters.
Search and rescue operations have been challenging due to the scale of the disaster. Wan Ping, commander of the Chongqing Professional Emergency Rescue Corps, told China Youth Daily: “Because the affected area is very wide, the rain was fierce, and there is a lot of sediment and large rocks, the search and rescue is very difficult. As we go further, the work surface becomes wider and deeper.”
Analysis
This flood event is significant for several reasons. The first Red Alert of 2026 arriving in late May suggests this year’s flood season may be more severe than usual. The 296.6mm rainfall in two hours in Yongchuan shattered all local historical records, pointing to an extreme weather event potentially linked to broader climate patterns.
The rain system affects at least 10 provinces, spanning from Sichuan in the west to Jiangsu in the east. Critically, this event follows closely after previous rain events in May, leaving soil already saturated and significantly increasing the risk of secondary disasters such as landslides.
Deputy Chief Forecaster Wu Zhengqian of the Chongqing Meteorological Observatory explained that the rainfall is predominantly nocturnal due to diurnal variations in warm moist air currents. “At night, both energy and moisture conditions are stronger than during the day, so rainfall is mostly at night,” he said, a pattern that complicates evacuation and rescue efforts.
What’s Next
The National Flood Control Headquarters has activated Level IV flood emergency responses for Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, and Chongqing. The National Disaster Relief Commission has dispatched 10,000 relief items — including tents, folding beds, and emergency lighting — to Chongqing, while the National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 20 million yuan (approximately $2.8 million) for post-disaster recovery, as reported by People’s Daily.
In Yongchuan, authorities raised the emergency response to Level I — the highest possible — on May 24, while 29 other districts were placed under Level II response and 9 under Level III. Anhui Province has also issued red flash flood warnings for four counties and activated a Level IV flood emergency response for 12 cities.
Rain is expected to continue through May 27, with river levels forecast to stabilize by May 28. However, with soil already saturated and more precipitation forecast, the risk of further casualties, landslides, and infrastructure damage remains high in the days ahead. Authorities continue to urge residents in affected areas to remain vigilant and heed evacuation warnings.