今夏暴雨频发，与历史同期相比有多极端？
China’s meteorological authority recently issued the year’s first red alert, as torrential rains triggered flooding and landslides across multiple regions. This extreme weather event did not emerge in isolation; it is the latest chapter in a long history of monsoons that both nourish and devastate the country. Since May, five distinct bouts of heavy rainfall have battered vast areas, prompting a Level IV emergency response in Chongqing. With rivers rising and residents displaced, many are asking: how severe is this season compared to those of the past?
To assess severity, one must examine historical benchmarks. The catastrophic floods of 1998, which claimed over 3,000 lives and displaced millions, stand as a grim reference point. That year, the Yangtze basin saw precipitation up to 50% above normal. More recently, in 2020, record-breaking rains swelled the Yangtze to its highest level in decades, inundating entire cities. Preliminary data suggests this year’s accumulated rainfall in some areas is nearing those extreme thresholds, with daily deluges exceeding 200 millimeters.
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