A tropical depression in the South China Sea, combined with a cold air mass, has dumped torrential rain on south China's Hainan Province since Sept 11, forcing authorities to raise emergency alerts, open reservoir gates for controlled releases and shut down some tourist attractions.
The National Meteorological Center expects the depression to make landfall along the central coast of Vietnam, while forecasting heavy to torrential rain over Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi over the next three days, with local downpours in Hainan.
From Friday to Saturday, parts of southeastern and central Hainan recorded more than 100 millimeters of rain in 24 hours. Rainfall of 100 to 150 millimeters is expected in the coming day, with accumulations exceeding 250 millimeters in some areas.
Hainan raised its rainstorm alert from level four to level three on Saturday, then to level two on Sunday morning. The national flood control headquarters activated a level-four emergency response for the province on Saturday evening, citing high risks of mountain torrents, geological disasters, river flooding and urban waterlogging.
Reservoirs including Sanya's Dalong, Lingshui's Tianzai and Dongfang's Gezhen began discharging water to manage levels. Meanwhile, sea activities at Dadonghai beach were suspended, and attractions such as Wuzhizhou Island and Yalong Bay Underwater World temporarily closed.
Authorities urged residents to stay away from rivers, discharge channels and flooded areas, and also warned against fishing, wading or construction work near waterways.
Torrential rain lashes Hainan, triggering emergency response
