China Activates Flood Defense for Beijing, Tianjin Amid Typhoon Remnants

China’s Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV emergency flood defense response for Beijing and Tianjin at 10:30 p.m. on August 11, dispatching two working groups to assist frontline flood defense operations in the two municipalities, according to Xinhua News. The measure comes as residual cloud systems from Typhoon “White Dolphin” combine with southward-moving cold air to bring heavy rainfall to northern China.

Escalating Flood Risk

The response was triggered by forecasts of significant precipitation from the night of August 11 through August 13, with moderate to heavy rain expected across Beijing and Tianjin, and localized torrential to extremely heavy rain in southwestern Beijing and northern Tianjin. Rivers including Beijing’s Yongding, Liuli, and Xiaoqing, as well as Tianjin’s Jiyun River, are expected to rise, with high risks of mountain torrents and flooding along small and medium-sized rivers within the heavy rain zones.

The ministry has urged local water departments to closely monitor the impact of Typhoon Dolphin’s residual cloud system, strengthen rainfall and water condition monitoring, and promptly issue warning information. Authorities are emphasizing strict implementation of the “five key links” of flood evacuation — who organizes, who transfers, when to transfer, where to transfer, and no unauthorized return — with the goal of avoiding casualties.

Beijing’s Heightened Response

Beijing activated a Level II flood-control emergency response — the second-highest level — at 9 a.m. on August 12, mobilizing more than 23,000 emergency personnel and over 2,000 sets of machinery and vehicles, as reported by China News Service. The city has also opened 77 elevated roads and 182 parking facilities for emergency vehicle parking in flood-vulnerable areas.

Most parts of the capital are expected to receive more than 100 millimeters of rain within six hours and over 150 millimeters within 24 hours from Tuesday evening through Thursday. Seven districts — including Tongzhou, Daxing, Fangshan, Mentougou, and Fengtai — could see six-hour totals exceeding 150 millimeters and 24-hour totals surpassing 200 millimeters, according to People’s Daily English.

Beijing’s average annual precipitation is 528 millimeters, meaning the forecast 24-hour rainfall could be equivalent to more than one-third of the city’s annual rainfall, as Global Times noted.

Authorities have ordered evacuation of people in flood- and landslide-prone areas, suspension of construction site work, and closure of mountain campsites and tourist attractions. Starting Wednesday, Beijing will encourage flexible work arrangements and staggered commuting, while schools may suspend classes and offline training. Outdoor sports events will be halted, and traffic controls will be imposed in high-risk areas.

The Beijing Emergency Management Bureau has urged residents in threatened areas — including mountain villages at risk, stranded tourists, and those in old or low-lying urban buildings — to obey evacuation orders and not return without authorization.

Typhoon Dolphin’s Path

Typhoon “White Dolphin” was the 13th typhoon of 2026 and one of the most powerful tropical cyclones to hit China this year, making two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on August 9 with maximum wind speeds of 151.2 km/h. The storm traveled approximately 6,000 kilometers before landfall — more than three times the average typhoon lifespan — and over 1 million people were evacuated from Shanghai and other areas as it approached, according to BBC Chinese.

Zhang Fanghua, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, said Dolphin’s extensive cloud system and abundant moisture reserves have prevented its residual circulation from dissipating quickly. Instead, the residual circulation is expected to continue moving northward and westward.

Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, warned that as the typhoon moves northward, it could encounter cold air from the north, potentially bringing not only heavy rainfall but also severe convective weather. Such weather can trigger disasters such as flash floods and mudslides, cause urban flooding, and affect farmlands.

Broader Regional Impact

The Ministry of Water Resources had previously activated Level IV flood defense responses for six provinces on August 7 and for four additional provinces — Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and Hubei — on August 10, as reported by Hubei Daily. The ministry maintained a Level III response for Zhejiang Province, which bore the brunt of the typhoon’s landfall.

Henan Province raised its flood-control emergency response to Level III in nine cities from 12:30 p.m. on August 12, while the provincial meteorological observatory upgraded its rainstorm alert from yellow to orange. In the Taihu Lake basin, 74 rivers exceeded warning levels, with five rivers recording their highest floods ever measured.

What to Watch

As the residual effects of Typhoon Dolphin continue to interact with cold air masses, authorities across northern and central China remain on high alert. The Ministry of Natural Resources has launched a Level IV geological disaster defense response for Beijing, reflecting concerns about landslides in mountainous areas. With flood defense responses now active across multiple provinces, the coming days will test the resilience of urban infrastructure and emergency response systems in some of China’s most populous regions.