Floods and landslides hit Fuzhou, China after 296 mm (11.65 inches) of rain in 12 hours
A total of 296 mm (11.65 inches) of rain fell in just 12 hours, triggering widespread flooding and a landslide that blocked a tunnel in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China on July 21, 2025.
Image credit: Jim Yang
Very heavy rainfall inundated parts of eastern China today, with Lianjiang County in Fuzhou, Fujian Province recording 296 mm (11.65 inches) of rain within just 12 hours.
The extreme rainfall event caused widespread flooding in residential and commercial zones, overwhelmed underground infrastructure, and triggered a landslide that blocked a tunnel in central Fuzhou.
Local footage and witness reports confirm significant submersion of underground parking garages across Lianjiang County. In multiple areas, vehicles were fully submerged under floodwater. Surface streets were also heavily affected, with torrents of water carrying vehicles downstream.
The intense rainfall saturated the soil and led to slope failure near one of Fuzhou’s road tunnels, which subsequently became completely obstructed by a landslide. The tunnel entrance was buried in debris, with no immediate access for vehicles or emergency teams.
Fujian’s Meteorological Bureau issued an orange rainstorm warning prior to the event, the second-highest level in China’s four-tier color-coded system.
I’m a science journalist and researcher at The Watchers, contributing to the Epicenter edition, where I cover peer-reviewed scientific research and emerging discoveries across Earth and space sciences. With a background in astronomy and a passion for environmental science, I’ve worked in shark and coral conservation in Fiji, conducting reef and shark-behavior research, contributing to mangrove restoration, and earning PADI Open Water and Coral Reef Certifications. I bring a blend of scientific rigor and storytelling to illuminate the discoveries shaping our planet and beyond.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In January 2000, chunks of ice weighing up to 6 pounds fell out of clear blue skies over Spain for 10 days. One smashed through a car windshield, and scientists still can’t fully explain where they came from Epicenter
- El Niño reaches 2.0°C on NOAA’s index, a tenth of a degree behind 1997–98 at the same point, as forecasters expect it to challenge the all-time record this winter
- The fastest wind gust ever measured on Earth, 253 mph, hit an oil island off Australia during Cyclone Olivia in 1996, and nobody noticed for more than a decade, until experts reading old data quietly took the record from New Hampshire's Mount Washington Epicenter
- In 1954, a grapefruit-sized meteorite crashed through a roof in Sylacauga, Alabama, and struck Ann Hodges as she napped on her couch Epicenter
