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Meanwhile, Typhoon Khanun was gathering strength in the Western Pacific and as it approached China’s coast, a large amount of moisture was fed into Doksuri’s weakened circulation.
The interaction of the two typhoons sustained the circulation while increasing the amount of precipitation, leading to an extended and intensified impact from the storms, Chinese meteorologists told media.
How damaging was the rain?
In urban parts of Beijing, hundreds of roads were flooded. Hundreds of flights were either delayed or cancelled.
The impact was more pronounced in the city’s western suburbs. In Mentougou and Fangshan districts, raging water coursed down roads, sweeping away cars. Villages in mountainous areas were cut off, prompting authorities to deploy helicopters to drop off food, water and emergency supplies.
Hebei’s Zhuozhou, a city with more than 600,000 people to the southwest of Beijing, was half-submerged, with about 134,000 residents affected and one-sixth of the city’s population evacuated.
Have similar weather events happened in the past?
Rain with such intensity and duration following typhoons is unusual in northern and northeastern China. The Chinese capital has observed just 12 incidences of significant rain brought by typhoons since authorities started keeping records, according to state media.
In 2017 and 2018, Typhoon Haitang and Ampil both dumped over 100mm of rain on Beijing. Typhoon Wanda in 1956 unleashed more than 400mm of precipitation on the densely populated city.
For China’s northeast, the impact of typhoons is also rare. Most typhoons would move way west or northwest after making landfall in China, experts say.
Reuters
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