The devastating 26 July 2017 floods in Yulin city, Northern Shaanxi, China

Abstract

This Express Letter gives a brief report of the devastating floods in Yulin City, Northern Shaanxi, NW China, which occurred after colossal rainstorms on 26 July 2017. Here, we discuss the disaster and rescue measures, compare them to a set of 149 major rainstorms in Yulin City from 1971 to 2016, and then analyze the correlation coefficients between the rainstorms and the Circulation Characteristics Index. The results show annual increases in the economic losses caused by flood disasters. In addition, the Western Pacific Subtropical High and the Northeast Cold Air are related to precipitation and floods in Yulin City from July to August, so they are important keys to predict future flood disasters in the region.