BEIJING: A tropical depression may hit southern China as early as Thu­rsday, meteorologists cautioned, bringing rain and gales to a flood-hit region still recovering from the impact of Typhoon Wutip two weeks ago.

The tropical depression could make landfall somewhere between the island province of Hainan and Guangdong on the mainland on Thursday morning, China’s National Met­eorological Centre said in an online bulletin.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated when Wutip tore through the region from June 13 to 15, dumping record rains and damaging roads and cropland. Five people died.

China has battled with summer floods for millennia, but some scientists say climate change is re­­sulting in heavier and more frequent rain. Massive flo­­oding could set off unforeseen “black swan” events with dire consequences such as dam collapses.

Heavy precipitation caused by typhoons will also aggravate seasonal rainfall from June to July, causing bigger-than-expected floods, Chinese meteorologists say.

On Wednesday, unusually heavy rains struck Rongjiang in southwestern Guizhou province, half-submerging the city of 300,000 people as fast-rising flood-waters swept away cars, roared into underground garages and malls, and damaged vital infrastructure including its power grid.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2025