Two of China's major rivers reported their first numbered floods of the year on Wednesday after heavy rainfall pushed water levels to warning marks, the Ministry of Water Resources said.

In China, a numbered flood is determined when a key hydrological station reaches preset warning thresholds in a major body of water. Rising to 9.5 meters at 10:25 am on Wednesday, the water level at the Xiaoqiao station on the Chuhe River, a lower Yangtze tributary, breached the warning mark for the first time in 2026. The Xiaoqiao station is located in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province.

At 12:24 pm, the water level at the Zhoukou station in Zhoukou, Henan province, on the Shaying River, a middle-reach tributary of the Huaihe, hit 46.1 meters, matching the warning level.

The water ministry said it has activated Level IV emergency responses for flood prevention in Anhui, Henan, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

Local authorities have been urged to arrange the early evacuation of residents in risk-prone areas, implement flood-control measures, and prepare flood storage and detention areas where needed.

The ministry has dispatched six working groups to direct flood-control efforts in Anhui and Henan.