Severe Flooding Hits Northern China as Water Levels Rise 6 Feet

Torrential rain triggered by Typhoon Bavi has caused severe flooding across Hebei and Liaoning provinces, submerging vehicles and destroying infrastructure.

Mary Man

Published: 7/13/2026, 10:15:21 PM EDT

Severe Flooding Hits Northern China as Water Levels Rise 6 Feet — Severe flooding in China's northern Hebei province on July 13 2026. (Social Media via Reuters)

From the evening of July 12 to July 13, Hebei Province in northern China and Liaoning Province in northeastern China were hit by severe flooding. A large number of vehicles were swept away, and multiple bridges were destroyed.

Influenced by the combined effects of remote moisture transport from Typhoon Bavi, which formed in the Pacific Ocean on June 30, and a cold air mass, Hebei Province experienced its strongest rainfall process since the start of the 2026 flood season.

Although it made landfall in eastern China on July 11, its structure remained largely intact as of July 13, making it the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in the Asia-Pacific region this year.

Vehicles Swept Away and Villagers Stranded in Hebei

In the early hours of July 13, Kuancheng County in Chengde, Hebei, was battered by continuous heavy downpours. Severe waterlogging hit downtown streets, with water levels reaching up to two meters (6.5 feet), and torrents washing away multiple cars.

Furthermore, across nine villages in four townships surrounding Kuancheng, roads were extensively damaged and destroyed by the floods, cutting off transportation and leaving approximately 1,800 villagers stranded. In some villages, houses were submerged with only their roofs visible, forcing some residents onto their rooftops to await rescue.

Videos uploaded by many netizens showed that overnight on July 12, the urban area of Kuancheng County was transformed into a rushing river. The streets became a vast ocean where numerous cars were pushed, flipped, and drifted like message bottles, while floodwaters in some villages and towns completely submerged the roofs of houses.

By the morning of July 13, the floodwaters began to recede, leaving behind a scene of destruction heaped with mud, vehicles, and damaged storefronts.

According to mainland Chinese media reports, Ms. Qiao, a local hardware store owner, stated that the torrential rain started around 7:00 p.m. on July 12 and lasted until about 1:00 a.m. on July 13. Street water levels temporarily reached over two meters deep. She noted that she had never encountered such massive flooding before, and that much of her hardware inventory was washed away along with shattered doors and glass windows.

The disaster was even more severe in local rural townships. Mr. Cai, a resident of Dongbingjiao Village in Kuancheng Town, described the flood as a "once-in-a-century" event. The local water level reached about 2–3 meters deep, and all villagers spent the evening of July 12 waiting for rescue on their roofs.

A staff member from the Kuancheng Jianye Motorboat Club stated that around 8:00 p.m. on July 12, 12 members of the club brought five motorboats to the hardest-hit areas for rescue operations. At its deepest point, the water reached 3 meters, submerging single-story homes up to their roofs and trapping other villagers on the second floor. By 8:00 a.m. on July 13, they had worked through the night to evacuate dozens of people.

Surfing in the Flooded Streets of Liaoning

Videos posted on Xiaohongsh, also known as RedNote, showed people backstroking in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, while parked cars along the roadside were almost entirely submerged by the floodwaters. Another video showed an individual standing on a paddleboard, navigating through the inundated streets.

A video shared on WeChat showed a man wakeboarding behind a moving car on a wide, flooded road in Shenyang. Another clip depicted police officers pushing a submerged car through the urban floodwaters.

Traffic Disruptions and Future Weather Forecasts

China Railway stated on Monday that many train services in Shenyang have been suspended, affecting more than 30 railway sections. Schools in multiple regions, including Jilin Province in the northeast, have also suspended classes.

Under the influence of Typhoon Bavi, heavy downpours—with torrential rains in localized areas—are expected over the next three days in Beijing, Tianjin, Anhui, Jiangxi, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang, with some regions experiencing short-term intense precipitation.

According to the latest forecasts from the meteorological department, the main force of the wind and rain will gradually shift to the Jiangsu and Shandong regions on July 13. Following this, residual cloud systems will once again disturb multiple areas in Liaoning and Jilin on July 14, bringing a new round of rainfall to Northeast China. This widespread precipitation process is finally expected to come to an end on July 15.

According to a notice from the Ministry of Water Resources cited by China Central Television, water levels in 46 rivers across the country have already surpassed their warning lines.

Reuters contributed to this report.