For slope instability caused by rainfall, there are some differences between ideal rainfall conditions and actual rainfall conditions. In order to study the stability of slopes under heavy rainfall, this paper therefore takes the 7.20 special rainstorm in Zhengzhou as an example. Four factors, namely average annual rainfall q, soil permeability coefficient anisotropy kr, water table height h(w), and suction friction angle phi(b), were selected as variables. The finite element method was used to analyze the variation rule of initial pore water pressure (IPWP) at the top and bottom of the slope under various factors during the rainfall process, the limit equilibrium method was used to calculate the safety factor (F-s) after the rainfall, and the grey correlation analysis method was used to analyze the sensitivity of factors affecting slope stability under heavy rainfall. The result shows that the pore water pressure at the top of the slope varies more than that at the bottom of the slope during rainfall. The lower the initial pore water pressure, the lower the safety factor of the slope at the end of rainfall. The sensitivity of each factor to the slope safety factor is in the following order: phi(b)>k(r)>h(w)>IPWP.

Rainfall infiltration is the primary factor affecting slope stability, which may lead to geological hazards such as landslides, collapses, and debris flows. Thus, it is crucial to investigate the rainfall infiltration patterns of unsaturated soil slopes. During a natural rainstorm, the soil volumetric water content at various depths of a significant unsaturated soil slope model was monitored onsite. The soil-water characteristic curve parameters and saturated permeability coefficient of remolded soil were quantified, and the Van Genuchten (VG) model was utilized to forecast the unsaturated permeability coefficient. The numerical simulation method was used to simulate the field rainfall experiment. Based on the mutual verification of the field measurement and numerical simulation, rainfall simulation with different rainfall intensities was added, and its influence on rainfall infiltration depth, pore water pressure, and transient saturated zone was analyzed. The findings revealed that under the rainstorm intensity of the field rainfall test, the rainfall infiltration depth ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 m after a continuous 9-h rainfall period. As the rainfall intensity increased, the range of soil pore water pressure variations expanded, with a maximum value ranging from 9 to 140 kPa under the rainstorm rainfall intensity. By extending the duration of rainstorm rainfall intensity to 14 h, the depth of the transient saturated zone reached 0.2 m. With a duration of 20 h, it reached 0.4 m. The depth reached 0.6 m after 27 h and 1.5 m after 36 h. The research findings of this paper can provide scientific guidance for revealing the hydrological characteristics of slopes during rainfall and for the protection and reinforcement of slopes.