China Braces for Summer of Northern Floods and Southern Droughts

Amid mounting global climate pressures, Chinese authorities are warning of a more extreme year ahead, one likely to be marked by frequent and severe floods. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported in late June that 2024 was China’s warmest year in 64 years and saw the most major river floods since 1998. But 2025 could be more challenging, the report added. The Ministry of Water Resources warned that this year’s flood season would last longer, with vulnerable northern river basins at risk of sudden, intense impacts.

“China entered flood season on March 15, 17 days earlier than average,” said Yan Peihua, a senior official at the ministry, in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV earlier this month. On July 1, China’s peak flood season began, the Ministry of Water Resources announced.

At a briefing the same day, the ministry predicted a nationwide pattern of northern floods and southern droughts through July and August. Most flooding is expected to occur in small- and medium-sized rivers, where water levels can rise quickly with little warning.

Read more