More than 600 Chinese rivers exceed warning levels as climate-linked flooding sweeps Asia

China's Ministry of Water Resources reported in mid-July 2026 that over 600 rivers had risen above warning levels — a 35% increase from the five-year average. The surge coincided with flash floods killing at least 31 in Afghanistan, 44 in Bangladesh, and landslides across Japan and Vietnam. The WMO has flagged a worsening continental pattern of climate-linked precipitation extremes across Asia.