Typhoon Maysak Floods Batter Southern and Northeast China

Typhoon Maysak, the 10th named storm of the 2026 Pacific typhoon season, has struck China in a dual-pronged disaster, making two landfalls while an associated extreme rain event in the northeastern city of Fushun has claimed three lives and shattered multiple rainfall records. In the southern Guangxi region, the coastal city of Fangchenggang activated a Level II flood emergency response on July 5 as typhoon-driven downpours dumped over 439 millimeters of rain in some areas, according to Xinhua News.

A Storm on Two Fronts

Typhoon Maysak (international designation 2610) formed as a tropical depression in the South China Sea on July 1 and was upgraded to a tropical storm two days later. It made its first landfall on July 3 at 18:20 CST in Lingshui County, Hainan Province, with maximum sustained winds of 9-grade (23 m/s) — becoming the first typhoon to hit China in 2026. After crossing Hainan and entering the Gulf of Tonkin, the storm strengthened into a severe tropical storm with 10-grade winds (28 m/s) before making a second landfall near Quang Ninh, Vietnam, at 21:00 CST on July 4, as Xinhua reported.

While not exceptionally powerful in wind speed, Maysak drew in abundant monsoon moisture, producing prolonged and extreme rainfall across a wide swath of southern China. The storm’s outer circulation, interacting with the monsoon trough and a cold front, extended the heavy rain band all the way from Hainan to Heilongjiang in the northeast.

Fushun: Record-Breaking Rain, Three Dead

In Liaoning Province, the city of Fushun experienced a separate but simultaneous extreme torrential rain event in the early hours of July 4. Between 01:00 and 07:00 CST, the city recorded an average of 106 millimeters of rainfall, with a maximum of 329.2 millimeters. The 1-hour, 3-hour, and 6-hour rainfall intensity all exceeded historical records, according to the Fushun Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

More than 3,596 people were evacuated as floodwaters surged through the city. The storm claimed three lives, though the relatively low casualty figure given the record-breaking intensity suggests that early warning systems and evacuation procedures functioned effectively. The Fushun Meteorological Bureau lifted the Level I (Extreme) rainstorm warning at 07:00 on July 5 as rainfall significantly weakened, The Paper reported.

Guangxi: Fangchenggang Under Water

In southern China, Typhoon Maysak’s impact on Guangxi has been severe. From July 4 02:00 to July 5 02:00, nine townships across 19 monitoring stations recorded over 250 millimeters of rain. The maximum recorded precipitation was 439.1 millimeters at Nasuo Town in Fangcheng District, according to the Fangchenggang Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The Fangchenggang Meteorological Bureau activated a Level II emergency response for heavy rain at 03:10 on July 5, and the city’s flood control headquarters officially activated a Level II flood disaster emergency response at 08:30, taking effect at 09:00. Local authorities warned that the “long duration, wide rainfall range, large accumulated rainfall” posed a high disaster risk, as The Paper reported.

National Response: A Multi-Front Battle

The scale of the disaster prompted a coordinated national response. On July 4, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters convened a multi-agency joint consultation involving the China Meteorological Administration, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport.

The National Flood Control HQ activated a Level IV emergency response for Liaoning and Jilin, while maintaining existing Level IV responses for Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hunan. Working groups were dispatched to Hainan and Guangxi to assist with local response efforts, according to a report from CCTV carried by The Paper.

“We are currently in the main flood season with increasingly frequent typhoons and rainstorms; China faces a multi-front battle from south to north,” the National Flood Control HQ stated during the consultation.

Evacuations and Infrastructure Impact

Pre-emptive evacuations across multiple provinces helped mitigate the human toll. In Hainan, over 16,000 people were evacuated ahead of Maysak’s first landfall. Guangdong evacuated more than 23,000 people, including over 10,700 from maritime areas and 12,500 from land-based locations. In Guangxi’s Beihai, all 2,888 registered fishing vessels returned to port with all 8,540 crew members ashore.

Transport infrastructure was significantly disrupted. The Qiongzhou Strait ferry service was suspended for approximately two days from July 3 to 4. Hainan’s high-speed rail was temporarily suspended before resuming on July 4, and Sanya Phoenix Airport suspended flights from 17:00 on July 3, resuming operations at 06:00 on July 4. Guangxi coastal ferry services, including the Beihai-Weizhou Island route, were also suspended.

Analysis: Climate Context and Preparedness

The dual disaster highlights the challenges China faces during its main flood season (汛期), which typically runs from June through August. Northern China was simultaneously experiencing a widespread heatwave, with temperatures in Xinjiang and Gansu potentially reaching 50°C, underscoring the extreme weather volatility affecting the country.

The relatively low casualty figures — three deaths from a record-breaking rainfall event — suggest that China’s investment in early warning systems, evacuation protocols, and multi-agency coordination is yielding results. The “call-response” mechanism (预警叫应), which ensures warnings reach individuals at the grassroots level, was emphasized at the national consultation as a critical tool for disaster prevention.

What’s Next

As of July 5, Typhoon Maysak’s center was located over Shangsi County in Fangchenggang, Guangxi, and was expected to continue moving northeast toward the Hunan border while weakening. However, the storm’s residual moisture was forecast to continue producing heavy rainfall across a wide area, with the National Flood Control HQ warning that rainfall in parts of Guangxi could exceed historical extremes for this period.

The full extent of damage and economic losses remains unclear, as floodwaters in many areas have yet to recede. Authorities remain on high alert for secondary disasters including landslides, urban waterlogging, and river flooding as the storm system continues its slow progression across southern and central China.