PHOTOS: Tropical Storm Floods South China

By Bailey Hu, September 4, 2017

Starting last night and continuing through this morning, tropical depression (and former typhoon) Mawar spewed torrential rain all along the coast of Guangdong province. It was the third serious storm to hit the region in the past two weeks, passing through Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Dongguan and other cities during its run.

Storm alerts in Guangdong this morning

Parts of Guangzhou and Shenzhen released red rainstorm alerts today, the highest level of alert available. In both cities, classes were canceled for elementary and middle schools as well as kindergartens.

Guangzhou commuters are advised to be careful out there

Heavy flooding in Shenzhen

Some were left partially stranded in Shenzhen this morning

Zhuhai was also on high alert, seeing rainfall as heavy as 220 milliliters in one area. Several roads were almost impassable due to flooding, although that didn't stop a few brave, unlucky drivers.

In particularly hard-hit neighborhoods, police were dispatched to literally ferry residents to safety.

Dongguan also saw incredibly heavy rain; through last night until 9.20am today, some areas accumulated over 30 centimeters of water. And around one school, commuters had to wade through floodwaters over a meter high.

A street in Dongguan

Zhongshan didn't escape unscathed either, with some streets resembling whitewaters in the aftermath.

According to the Guangdong Meteorological Service Center, the weather will lighten up over the next couple days, with showers and cloudy skies expected from September 5-6.

If you're sick of typhoons by now, we don't blame you – but be warned, Mawar may not be the last storm to hit South China this year. This morning, the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau Weibo account posted this picture of a tropical depression off the East coast of the Phillipines.