China’s catastrophic floods and debilitating drought hit simultaneously

Chinese state media reported Thursday that a heavy rainstorm in western China created a landslide that diverted a river and caused flash floods in inhabited areas, killing at least 16 people and leaving 18 others missing. CCTV reported that more than 6,000 people in six villages in the province of Qinghai were affected by the Wednesday night accident.

Some portions of China are experiencing severe rainfall and flooding this summer, while other regions are experiencing high heat and dryness. The persistent heat and drought have been described as the worst since record-keeping began sixty years ago.

Emergency officials referred to the rapid flooding in Datong County, Qinghai, as a “mountain torrent.” Such torrents are typically the result of strong thunderstorms in hilly regions. Water coursing down a mountain can transform gullies and streams into rushing rivers, catching people off guard.

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The Beijing News website shared a video of murky water rushing down a broad street at night, as well as debris-strewn areas with uprooted trees, partially washed-away roadways, and overturned vehicles after the waters retreated.

Elsewhere in Sichuan and other provinces, crops are wilting and factories have closed because a drought has reduced hydropower supplies and high temperatures have increased the demand for electricity to operate air conditioning.

Tesla Ltd. and SAIC, one of China’s largest state-owned automakers, paused production at plants in Shanghai owing to a lack of components from 16 suppliers in Sichuan that ceased operations, according to a letter released Thursday by the Shanghai Economic and Information Industry Committee.

The Shanghai committee urged its Sichuan counterpart to ensure that auto component firms had sufficient power during daylight working hours in order to prevent supply disruptions.

According to Chinese media and government sources, authorities in three provinces have fired rockets into the sky in recent days to “seed” clouds with agents in an effort to urge them to generate more rain.