Heavy Rains Severely Impact Beijing's Transportation

By Justine Lopez, July 21, 2016

Yesterday was absolute madness in Beijing. In case you somehow missed it, you can check out a bunch of videos and photos here. The heavy rainfall experienced in the capital on Wednesday was some of the worst – if not the worst – we’ve had in years. All that water was bound to have negative impacts on the city's transportation. And it did.

At 4pm yesterday, the average precipitation in the capital reached 154.9 mm (6.10 inches), CCTV reports. A maximum of 392.4 mm (15.45 inches) was recorded in Fangshan.

By Tuesday evening, roughly 60 trains around the city were canceled due to heavy rains and wind, according to the Beijing Railway Bureau. As of 8pm last night, 237 flights had been canceled at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Roads around the city were also impacted, which had dire effects on traffic. By yesterday afternoon 13 roadways were closed in the downtown area. According to the Beijing Drainage Group Co., over 3,000 workers had to be dispatched to clear Beijing’s roads.

According to the Beijing Public Transportation Group roughly 164 buses were either canceled or delayed around the city.

Transportation in Tianjin was also impacted by the storm. As of Wednesday afternoon, 189 flights had been canceled at Tianjin airport. From Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening, downtown Tianjin received an average rainfall of 218.5 mm (over 8 inches). A maximum of 359.1 mm (over 14 inches) was recorded in Hexi.

The storm in Beijing was ranked at the orange-level. China has a four-tier system: red is the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

In 2012, chaos ensued after Beijing was smacked with the heaviest rain it had seen in 60 years. Widespread flooding and the deaths of 37 people caused many to criticize the capital for its inadequate drainage systems, BBC reports. Since then the capital has been taking steps to ensure the same widespread devastation is not repeated during severe rainstorms.