Nearly 20,000 people evacuated as Chinese city gets one year’s rain in just 24 hours
Heavy rainfall is forecast to continue in northern China into Saturday


Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Friday 25 July 2025 11:32 BST

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate after storms dumped nearly a year’s worth of rainfall in a single day on an industrial city near Beijing.

Torrential rains forced at least 19,453 people from 6,171 households in Baoding, about 150km from the capital in China’s northern province of Hebei, to leave their homes after streets began to flood this week.

As much as 447mm rain fell in Yi, in western Baoding, in the 24 hours to early Friday morning, and records were reset at a number of weather stations in Hebei province. Official records show annual rainfall in Baoding averages just over 500mm.

The China Meteorological Administration shared a short video clip on social media showing two policemen in neon rain jackets standing boot-deep on a waterlogged street as the rain poured down at night.

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