According to Xinhua, record rainfall poured down on the desert city of Hotan in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China last weekend raised concerns among experts that extreme weather is increasing in this arid region, with potential long-term impacts on fragile desert ecosystems.
The torrential rain pushed floodwaters into the dry riverbeds on the edge of the Taklamakan desert, the world's second largest mobile sand desert. The local meteorological station recorded 64.7mm of rain on June 19 and 20, exceeding the regional annual average and breaking the old record of 56mm set in June 2021.
Videos of flooded highways in this frequently drought-stricken city quickly spread on Chinese social networks, reigniting debates about the strange phenomenon of "desert floods".
Sandstorms are common, but rain is rare," a woman named Tran, who has worked in this city for 12 years, told the media. "Even when it rains, it rarely lasts longer than an hour. But this time the rain is heavier and lasts much longer," this person said.
Data over the past three decades shows that the frequency of major storms in Xinjiang has increased by 47%, while snowstorms have skyrocketed by 80% compared to the previous period from 1961 to 1990. Extreme rain and extreme drought are now alternately appearing throughout the region. In 2020 and 2022, the northern and eastern regions of Xinjiang experienced the worst droughts in two decades.
This year's extreme weather also coincides with the rising El Niño phenomenon. In early June, the World Meteorological Organization called on countries to prepare for a possible strong El Niño wave, exacerbating both drought and heavy rain in the coming months. A similar phenomenon has also occurred in many desert areas around the world in recent years. In 2024, the world's largest Sahara desert once attracted attention with unusually heavy rains.
