Torrential flooding, landslides – natural disasters threaten communities in some mountainous rural areas of China, especially during the rainy season. 

On July 6, a massive landslide took place in Leijiashan in Shimen County in the central province of Hunan, resulting in the collapse of five houses and damage to a road and a small power station. 

No lives were lost, thanks to an orange alert issued as early as 12 days before the disaster by a monitoring system backed by China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

So how does the BeiDou system work to forecast bad weather? CGTN's Rachel has the answer.

Script written by: Cao Qingqing 
On-camera reporter: Zhou Yiqiu
Video filmed and edited by: Wu Chutian
Animation designed by: Pan Yongzhe & Du Chenxin
Producer: Wen Yaru
Supervisor: Pang Xinhua