Workers rush to repair a section of the flood-damaged national highway in Huairou district, Beijing on July 28, 2025. Photo: VCG

The recent round of extreme heavy rainfall in Beijing has caused significant disasters, with severe damage reported in the northern mountainous areas. The continuous extreme downpours have led to major devastation. A total of 30 people have died due to the disaster across the city — 28 in Miyun district and 2 in Yanqing district, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

According to the Beijing Meteorological Service, a yellow rainstorm alert was issued for the Chinese capital city on Tuesday, down from a red one on Monday.

Since the onset of this round of heavy rainfall and as of midnight on Monday, the city’s average precipitation has reached 165.9 millimeters. The highest recorded rainfall occurred in Miyun’s Langfangyu and Zhujiayu, reaching 543.4 millimeters. The peak rainfall intensity was observed in Dongyu, Huairou district, with 95.3 millimeters falling between 10 pm and 11 pm on Saturday.

A total of 80,332 people have been relocated across Beijing. The three districts with the highest number of evacuees are Miyun, Huairou and Fangshan. 

In Miyun district, 16,934 people were relocated from 19 townships; in Huairou district, 10,464 people were relocated from 15 townships; and in Fangshan district, 9,904 people were relocated from 21 townships.

A total of 31 road sections in the affected areas have been damaged, with 16 routes still not fully restored. Power outages have occurred in 136 villages, and communication infrastructure has suffered significant damage, including 62 optical cables destroyed and 1,825 base stations out of service, according to Xinhua.

Rainfall is expected to continue through 8 pm on Tuesday, with hourly precipitation in some areas exceeding 50 millimeters. With a heightened risk of secondary disasters such as flash floods, mudslides, and landslides in mountainous and hilly areas, the public is advised to take necessary precautions.

Due to the heavy rainfall since July 23, the inflow to the upstream area of the Miyun Reservoir has increased significantly. As of 6 am on Tuesday, the total volume discharged from the reservoir had reached 120 million cubic meters. Currently, the outflow rate from the reservoir is 1,120 cubic meters per second.

In response to significant casualties and property damage caused by continuous rainfall in Beijing’s Miyun and Huairou districts that has triggered severe flooding, the National Development and Reform Commission has urgently allocated 200 million yuan ($27.9 million) from the central government budget to support Beijing in post-disaster emergency recovery efforts following recent flooding, CCTV News reported on Tuesday. 

The funds will be primarily used for the emergency restoration of damaged infrastructure and public service facilities—such as transportation, water conservancy, and healthcare—in severely affected areas including Miyun and Huairou, with the aim of restoring normal production and daily life as soon as possible, according to the media report. 

Global Times