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Print'Dragon boat rain' in full swing
Writer: Li Jing | Editor: Zhang Zhiqing | From: Shenzhen Daily | Updated: 2025-05-21
Shenzhen is expecting thunderstorms coupled with high temperatures over the next week as it enters the annual rainy period, which entails heavy rainfall that typically lasts for about a month around the Dragon Boat Festival in southern China.
Characterized by its uneven spatial distribution, frequent precipitation, and occasional extreme heavy rainfall, "dragon boat rain" usually begins before the traditional Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on May 31 this year, and continues for approximately one month. It primarily affects Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian.
People wait at a crosswalk during a downpour in Shenzhen, June 2024. Shenzhen Evening News
The onset of the "dragon boat rain" is attributed to the onset of monsoon season in the South China Sea, according to local meteorological authorities. Rainstorms are often accompanied by severe convective weather, including hail, thunderstorms, strong winds, and short-term heavy rainfall. Such conditions significantly increase the risk of flash floods, urban waterlogging, and geological disasters.
What is unusual this year is that no typhoon has made landfall in China so far, already two months later than usual, according to the observatory. Since 2000, the average date for the formation of the first typhoon has been March 16. This year, it is projected that seven to nine typhoons will make landfall in China.
A seven-day weather forecast issued by the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau. Photo from WeChat account "深圳天气”
After casualties were reported over the weekend, the Guangdong Provincial Government has urged cities and departments across the province to implement effective measures to prevent and respond to potential natural hazards triggered by continued heavy rainfall and storms in the coming days.
Three people were killed, three others were injured, and one person went missing following a landslide caused by heavy rain in the village of Pingtougang in Gaozhou, a city administered by Maoming in western Guangdong, according to a report from Xinhua.