Three years ago in summer, Shimen County in Changde City, Hunan Province, was hit by several rounds of heavy rainfall.

On July 6, 2020, heavy rain fell in the northwestern townships of Shimen County, with a maximum rainfall of 227.1 mm. Landslides and mudslides occurred, damaging power stations and houses, washing away about the area of 1 kilometer of Provincial Highway S522.

In the face of disasters, accurate and timely weather warnings give full play to the role of the first line of defense in disaster prevention and mitigation.

Hunan Provincial Meteorological Observatory has significantly improved the accuracy of heavy precipitation forecasts by utilizing short-term approaching (0-3 hours) quantitative precipitation forecasts and short-term (1-3 days) precipitation grid forecast products based on numerical weather model.

A new version of the integrated platform for meteorological disaster warning services has been launched, realizing the production and dissemination of meteorological disaster warnings, warning signals, heavy precipitation monitoring alerts and important warning information in a "one-button" manner.

Provincial Meteorological Observatory and Changde Municipal Meteorological Station issued precise forecasts, and jointly with the Provincial Department of Natural Resources, issued a yellow warning for meteorological risks of geological disasters in Shimen County. Provincial Meteorological Observatory also issued rolling warnings and strengthened real-time alerts, updated the rainstorm warning information several times within five hours, and gradually upgraded the warning level from yellow to red.

Thanks to the accurate forecasts and timely reminder, the flood control responsible person immediately organized the evacuation of villagers and notified the power department to cut off the high-voltage power supply.

In order to minimize the risks of disasters and safeguard people's lives and property, meteorological departments actively strengthened inter-departmental consultations.

The heavy precipitation caused significant economic losses, but thanks to timely weather warnings and effective government measures, zero casualties were realized.

Editor: XU Nenyu