Sometimes Beijing also has too much water. Roughly 70 percent of the capital’s rainfall comes in the summer, especially in July. Agricultural and irrigation changes over centuries have left Beijing unusually vulnerable to summer flooding, with many lakes destroyed and new crops resulting in the removal of protective vegetation.

Floods are becoming more common and more dangerous in many parts of the world. Heavier rainfalls, unpredictable storms, and outdated infrastructure make it harder for cities to cope. In China, that challenge has reached a breaking point.

Beijing is getting drenched by another round of heavy rain, one week after torrential downpours across parts of the Chinese capital unleashed flooding that claimed at least 44 lives.