Record deluge floods Hebei villages; emergency response upgraded

Hebei's Yixian county in Baoding recorded 362.6 millimeters of rainfall within 24 hours at a national weather station, breaking the local single-day precipitation record.

The regional automatic weather station in Yixian's Renyizhuang township registered 448 millimeters, exceeding the county's average annual rainfall of approximately 400 mm, according to China Meteorological Administration.

In some villages, floodwaters inundated homes with depths of 2 meters, forcing residents to evacuate to rooftops. River levels surged overnight, sweeping away large quantities of household appliances and causing property losses.

Forecasts indicate continued heavy rain on Friday, particularly in central-southern Chengde, Baoding, and northern Langfang, with some areas experiencing heavy downpours. These conditions may be accompanied by severe convective weather, including thunderstorms, intense short-term rainfall, and sudden gusts.

The provincial meteorological disaster prevention headquarters upgraded its rainstorm emergency response to Level III at 6:00 am on Friday. All localities and departments have been instructed to activate or escalate disaster response protocols according to actual conditions and implement comprehensive defensive measures per emergency plans.