officials in guangdong described the water levels as grim. they have been monitoring them for days. there are two problems here. first are days and days of heavy rain, coupled with what have been localised storms. now, these storms have been so fierce that even heavy hail, hail big enough to go through windscreens, has been falling from the sky. there have even been reports of some tornadoes. now, they have been monitoring these water levels and there were fears of a once—in—a—half—century flooding event as those water levels began to rise. quietly flowing rivers turned into torrential rivers which raised those water levels, risking tens of thousands of homes. they have evacuated around 60,000 people. they have taken them to safety. but it does seem that the worst has passed for now. water levels are beginning to recede.