Severe storms swept across large areas of southern China, causing flooding in cities and landslides in rural areas, and the first wave of summer rains reached its peak.

Streets have turned into rivers and cars and one-story houses have been swept away in at least two counties in southwest China’s Guizhou province, videos circulated on Chinese social media show. Precipitation in some areas was the heaviest in 60 years.

State media reported that five villagers died in neighboring Guangxi Autonomous Region when a wooden house collapsed after heavy rain destroyed it.

There were reports of mudflows and landslides on the roads.

The Met Office said today, Sunday, that the rain is expected to continue until early next week.

In southern China, the weeks leading up to and following the Dragon Boat Festival in early June are characterized by unstable and usually rainy weather, as warm, humid air in the south collides with cold air masses from the north.

Early summer storms this year were more intense and prolonged than usual, with rainfall in Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian reaching their highest levels since 1961, according to local meteorological bureaus.

China has historically been prone to summer floods, but has recently become more vulnerable due to deforestation, wetland reclamation, and water storage for power generation and irrigation. Climate change is also one of those reasons.