As severe rains lash southern China, massive floods pose a threat to tens of millions of people.

Over the weekend, southern China was hit by intense rains that flooded streets, farms, and houses, endangering the lives of tens of millions of people as rescuers scrambled to free those stranded by rising waters.

According to state-run news agency Xinhua on Monday, at least 11 people are missing, six of whom are from the hamlet of Jiangwan, which is close to Shaoguan city in the province's hilly north. There, torrential downpours caused landslides that resulted in six injuries.  Rainstorms for several days have battered Guangdong province, a 127 million-person economic powerhouse.

The widespread flooding caused by the storms has forced around 82,500 people to flee their homes, said to official media, which cited the local authorities.  Four meteorological stations in Guangdong recorded record rainfall for April as a result of the continuous, heavy rains that have pummeled the Pearl River Delta, China's manufacturing hub and one of the nation's most populous areas, since April 16.

The Pearl River watershed has yearly flooding from April to September, but in recent years, the area has seen increasingly powerful downpours and catastrophic floods due to scientists' warnings that the climate crisis will intensify extreme weather, making it more deadly and frequent. 

 According to the China Meteorological Administration, China had "more strong and extreme" downpours during the flood season last year compared to prior years, with 72 national weather stations recording record daily rainfall and 346 stations breaking monthly records.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, at least 44 rivers in the Pearl River watershed have risen above the alert line since last week, endangering their banks.  Authorities have issued a "once in a century" flood warning for the Bei River, which empties into the Pearl River. The flood is predicted to rise 5.8 meters (19 feet) beyond the alert level. According to Guangdong authorities, the tributary had already overflowed its banks on April 8, which was the earliest start of the annual flood season since records began in 1998.

CCTV broadcasted aerial footage over the weekend that showed settlements submerged under murky floodwaters, with just homes and treetops visible in many locations.

Residents of Zhaoqing city's Guangning county posted footage of filthy brown water rushing down village streets and washing away cars on the short video app Douyin. A man is shown riding his scooter through shoulder-high floodwaters in Shaoguan. Additionally, social media footage from Qingyuan City shows violent storms and rain toppling trees and toppling motorcycles. 

On Sunday, authorities upgraded the Pearl River Delta's flood control emergency response to level 2, which is the second-highest level in a four-tier system.

In the metropolises of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, hundreds of flights have been canceled and other localities have shut their schools.  According to Xinhua, over 80 homes have either collapsed or sustained significant damage, resulting in a direct economic loss of over 140 million yuan ($20 million).