Water that turns streets into lakes, sweeping cars away like toys
Along the coasts and river valleys of southern China, Typhoon Maysak has reminded millions of people how thin the boundary remains between ordinary life and catastrophe. The storm killed two in Nanning, breached three reservoirs, and drove nearly 48,000 from their homes — while a second, more powerful typhoon already crosses the Pacific toward the same shores. These events are no longer isolated shocks but recurring chapters in a longer story about a climate in transformation, one whose costs are being counted in lives, livelihoods, and the slow erosion of certainty.
- Typhoon Maysak tore through Guangxi province with enough force to breach three reservoirs simultaneously and turn city roads into rivers, killing two people in Nanning alone.
- Floodwaters in Guigang swallowed cars whole and swept a small vehicle down a street like debris, while five more people died in separate heavy rains across northern China.
- Authorities raised flood control to its highest emergency level as forecasters warned of 'extremely heavy rain' still to come across regions home to more than 150 million people.
- Super Typhoon Bavi — carrying winds of up to 180 miles per hour — is already crossing the Pacific and is expected to strike eastern China by Thursday, offering almost no recovery window.
- Analysts warn that successive extreme weather events of this kind could erase tens of billions of dollars annually from China's economy as floods halt factories, destroy crops, and overwhelm infrastructure.
Typhoon Maysak arrived in southern China over the weekend with enough force to turn streets into rivers. By Monday, two people had been killed in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province, barriers at three reservoirs had been breached, and roughly 48,000 residents had fled their homes. In Guigang, about 170 miles away, floodwaters had swallowed cars and poured down hillsides in brown torrents. Farther south in Fangchenggang, a small vehicle was swept down a street by the current while a man nearby fought to save his electric scooter.
The storm had already traveled far before reaching the mainland. It first made landfall on the island province of Hainan on Friday — the year's first tropical cyclone to touch Chinese soil — then moved through Vietnam, tearing roofs from buildings in the border city of Mong Cai, before crossing into Guangxi. Meteorologists warned that even as Maysak weakened inland, it would continue releasing the moisture gathered crossing the South China Sea.
In Nanning, some 55,000 people were already affected when local officials spoke on Monday. Authorities raised the flood control emergency to its highest level, citing forecasts of 'extremely heavy rain' in the days ahead. In Guigang, the water level at the main hydrological station had climbed to 42 metres by midday.
Maysak was not the only danger approaching. Super Typhoon Bavi was crossing the Pacific with winds of up to 180 miles per hour, having already passed over Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Chinese weather authorities warned it would bring strong winds and heavy rain to eastern China by Thursday — meaning parts of the country would face successive waves of extreme weather within days of each other. Five additional deaths from heavy rains in northern China, including a flash flood in Inner Mongolia and separate fatalities in Liaoning, underscored how broadly the country was being battered at once.
The regions most exposed to the coming rainfall — Guangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan — are home to more than 150 million people. Beyond the immediate danger, analysts have begun tallying the economic weight of such events, with weather-related damage threatening to erase tens of billions of dollars annually in commercial and agricultural activity. Meteorologists increasingly connect these patterns to the broader climate crisis, framing the storms not as isolated disasters but as recurring symptoms of a world that China, like the rest of us, will have to navigate for years to come.
Typhoon Maysak arrived in southern China over the weekend with the kind of force that turns ordinary streets into rivers. By Monday, the storm had killed two people in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province, breached barriers at three separate reservoirs, and sent roughly 48,000 residents fleeing their homes. The numbers alone convey the scale, but the images tell the real story: in the city of Guigang, about 170 miles away, floodwaters had transformed a wide road into an inland lake, swallowing cars whole and pouring down hillsides in brown torrents. At another location farther south in Fangchenggang, a small vehicle was caught in the current and swept down a street like a toy, while a man nearby struggled to keep his electric scooter from being pulled away.
The storm itself had already crossed considerable distance by the time it reached China's mainland. It made its first landfall in Hainan, the southern island province, on Friday—the year's first tropical cyclone to touch Chinese territory. From there it moved into Vietnam, where it tore down trees and ripped metal roofs from buildings in the border city of Mong Cai before crossing into Guangxi. Meteorologists explained that as Maysak weakened and moved inland, it would continue to dump the moisture it had accumulated crossing the South China Sea, meaning the worst was not yet over.
In Nanning alone, about 55,000 people were already affected by the flooding when deputy mayor Wei Jiang made his statement on Monday. The water was overflowing or breaking through barriers at three reservoirs simultaneously. Authorities responded by raising the flood control emergency to its highest level, a decision driven by forecasts of what they called "extremely heavy rain" in the coming days—precipitation that threatened to worsen conditions and complicate rescue operations. In Guigang, the water level at the hydrological station had already climbed to 42 metres by midday.
But Maysak was not the only threat on the horizon. Super Typhoon Bavi was crossing the Pacific toward Taiwan, carrying winds of up to 180 miles per hour as it moved across Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Rota. Chinese weather authorities warned that Bavi would bring strong winds and heavy rain to eastern China beginning Thursday. The timing meant that parts of the country would face successive waves of extreme weather within days of each other.
The human toll extended beyond Guangxi. Five people died in heavy rains across northern China—two in a flash flood in Inner Mongolia on Saturday evening, and three more the same day in Fushun, Liaoning province. These deaths, scattered across different regions, pointed to a broader pattern: China was being battered by multiple weather systems simultaneously, each one capable of overwhelming local infrastructure.
The regions most vulnerable to the coming rainfall—Guangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan—are home to more than 150 million people, a population larger than Russia's. For these areas and for China more broadly, the storms represent more than immediate danger. Analysts have begun calculating the economic weight of such events: weather-related damage each year stands to erase tens of billions of dollars in commercial activity as cities flood, factories halt production, and crops are destroyed. Meteorologists increasingly link these extreme weather patterns to the climate crisis, a connection that frames these storms not as isolated disasters but as symptoms of a shifting climate that China, the world's second-largest economy, will have to reckon with for years to come.
Notable Quotes
About 55,000 people were already affected by floods in Nanning, with waters overflowing or breaking through barriers at three reservoirs— Wei Jiang, deputy mayor of Nanning
Weather-related risks each year stand to wipe out tens of billions of dollars' worth of commercial activity, as cities flood, industrial activity stalls and crops are submerged or washed away— Analysts tracking climate-linked economic impacts
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that Maysak weakened as it moved inland? Wouldn't a weaker storm be less dangerous?
The opposite, actually. As it weakens, it slows down and stalls over land, which means it dumps all that moisture it picked up over the ocean in one place for longer. A fast-moving strong storm can be less destructive than a slow, weakening one.
You mentioned 150 million people in those three provinces. Is that number meant to shock, or does it tell us something specific about the risk?
Both. It's not just scale for its own sake—it's that infrastructure built for normal rainfall patterns breaks when you get extreme events. Dams breach. Roads become impassable. You can't evacuate that many people quickly, and you can't shelter them all at once.
The story mentions five deaths in northern China from separate rains. Why include that if it's not directly connected to Maysak?
Because it shows this wasn't one isolated storm hitting one region. Multiple weather systems were active across the country simultaneously. That's the pattern meteorologists are worried about—not just individual typhoons, but the frequency and overlap of extreme events.
What does "raising the emergency response to its highest level" actually mean in practical terms?
It means mobilizing all available resources—military, civilian rescue teams, equipment. It means suspending normal procedures. It's the signal that authorities believe things could get much worse very quickly and they're preparing for a worst-case scenario.
You wrote about the economic costs—tens of billions. Is that speculation or something analysts have actually calculated?
Analysts have modeled it based on past events and current trends. It's not a guess. When factories flood, supply chains break. When crops are destroyed, food prices rise. When cities are underwater, commerce stops. The numbers are real, even if they're projections.