A screenshot from a video by Hunan Daily shows rescue personnel relocating trapped residents in Sangzhi, Central China’s Hunan Province, on June 19, 2025.

A round of heavy rainfall that began Wednesday night has brought significant precipitation, with multiple regions in Central China’s Hunan Province experiencing record-breaking levels. As of 8 am Thursday, more than 25,000 people had been relocated in areas including Zhangjiajie, Changde, and Huaihua, according to Hunan Daily.

The Hunan provincial meteorological station issued an orange rainstorm alert at 4 pm on Thursday. It is expected that from 8 pm on Thursday to 8 pm on Friday, most areas in the western and northern parts of Hunan will experience heavy rain, with some areas in Zhangjiajie, Changde, Yueyang likely to see extremely heavy rainfall ranging from 100 to 200 millimeters, according to the National Meteorological Center.

According to the weather forecast, there will be heavy rain in the northern region of Hunan from 2 pm on Thursday to 2 pm on Friday. To ensure the safety of passenger train operations, some regular-speed train services will be suspended or will operate at a limited speed on Friday, according to a report by Hunan Daily.
 
As of 8 am Thursday, the heaviest rainfall was concentrated in areas such as Shimen in Changde. The cumulative rainfall is significant, with 172 out of 186 counties, cities, and districts in Hunan Province experiencing rainfall exceeding 50 millimeters, 18 towns exceeding 250 millimeters, and nine towns exceeding 300 millimeters, according to the Hunan Daily report.

The Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) on Thursday launched a Level IV flood emergency response for nine provincial-level regions including East China’s Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, Central China’s Henan, Hubei and Hunan provinces, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to the MWR.  

The ministry dispatched three working groups to Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui to assist with flood prevention efforts. Additionally, the ministry urged intensified rolling monitoring and early warning measures, according to the MWR.
 
Due to continuous rainfall, the water level at the Zhangjiajie station on the Lishui River reached 163.02 meters at 13:55 on Thursday, meeting the criteria for flood numbering. This has been designated as “Lishui River flood No.1 of 2025.” Relevant units along the river and the public are urged to enhance prevention measures and pay attention to safety precautions, according to Hunan authorities.

Global Times