Recently, extreme weather conditions have inund northern Beijing as China faces an increasing number of intense summer storms, flooding, heatwaves and drought. The torrential rains over the last few weeks have covered much of the area, bringing hundreds of deaths and devastation in their wake. Local and state authorities are continuing to rush to respond to the damage done by these acts of Mother Nature. Due to the ever-deepening climate crisis, these events have become increasingly frequent and intense.
On July 28, 2025, local residents in Liulimiao Town, Huairou District, Beijing, found their homes covered in mud after intense flooding. The cumulative rainfall in Miyun went over an amazing 543 mm, that’s close to what Beijing gets in a whole year on average. In a week’s time, the capital city received nearly 166 millimeters of rain—that’s more than July’s average monthly total.
The catastrophic weather forced Beijing officials to sound the city’s highest-level flood warning on Monday. They advised the public to stay clear of rising rivers and urged people to be prepared. In China’s capital, authorities released floodwater from the Wangjing West Reservoir in Miyun. This move happened after the max flood peak flow, the highest in recorded history, reached 6,550 cubic meters per second, worsening this crisis.
We all felt devastation in Beijing, but the damage was already done. At the same time, flash-flooding in villages in nearby Shandong province washed away 19 houses, killing two people and leaving ten others missing. In a single evening, the equivalent of six months of rain fell. That massive influx of rainwater caused dozens of new rapid floods, catching many residents completely off guard.
Tragically, over 30 people have been killed in the northern outskirts of Beijing from these extreme inundations. As of October 23, authorities say over 80,000 people have been officially evacuated to keep them safe. This now includes about 17,000 of those people from the Miyun district. The scale of the disaster has drawn attention from national leaders, with Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledging the “significant casualties and property losses” caused by the heavy rainfall and floods affecting Beijing and surrounding provinces like Hebei and Jilin.
The trauma caused by the cumulative effect of these natural disasters has shaken residents to their core. According to one rural Miyun woman, the experience left her unable to comprehend the extent of destruction in the scene about her.
“The place where I grew up was destroyed overnight. I never imagined that such devastation would occur even within the capital, Beijing,” – a woman from a small town in Miyun.
Separately, a landslide in neighboring Hebei province brought recent tragedy, burying four workers. In addition, it has left eight others unaccounted for. These mercurial weather patterns have devastating cumulative impacts. Residents are understandably worried about what’s next, making clear the importance of developing new disaster response and climate adaptation plans.
U.S. Senator David Perdue, one of the most influential conservatives to weigh in on the mess, tweeted prayers for Tamaulipas flood victims.
“I was very sorry to hear about the loss of life in China, including Beijing, due to the heavy rains. We offer our sincere condolences to those who have lost family members and loved ones,” – David Perdue.
As recovery efforts commence, experts warn that climate change will continue to amplify such extreme weather events in China and beyond. The need for proactive measures to address environmental challenges is becoming increasingly apparent as communities work to rebuild amidst the chaos.
