Typhoon Bavi makes landfall in China, downgraded to severe tropical storm
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Farmland is flooded by heavy rain brought by Typhoon Bavi in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on July 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Typhoon Bavi made landfall in eastern China as a severe tropical storm, prompting the evacuation of nearly two million people and causing heavy rain, strong winds, and potential floods.
- Before China, Bavi impacted northern Taiwan, Japan's south-western islands, and the Philippines, causing power outages, flight cancellations, and at least 18 deaths due to landslides.
- Experts warn warmer oceans and the upcoming El Niño in 2026 may intensify tropical storms like Bavi, increasing rainfall and storm severity in the future.
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BEIJING – Typhoon Bavi was downgraded to a severe tropical storm on July 12 after making landfall in eastern China, where the authorities had evacuated nearly two million people in its path.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Before reaching China, the storm lashed northern Taiwan and Japan’s remote south-western islands, toppling trees and leaving tens of thousands without power.
Extreme weather already wreaked havoc on southern and central China in the past week, with storms leaving at least 39 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir to burst.
Bavi first made landfall at around 11.20pm on July 11 in Zhejiang province, packing winds of 144kmh, the state Xinhua news agency said, quoting the provincial meteorological observatory.
“The core impact zone experienced fierce winds and heavy rain, with rapid run-off forming on the ground and roadside trees being uprooted,” national TV station CCTV reported as Bavi struck the city of Yuhuan.
It then hit Yueqing city, where CCTV said firefighters, rescue workers and municipal employees were clearing “more than 1,300 trees” that had fallen or been uprooted.
The eye of the storm had moved near the Zhejiang provincial capital Hangzhou at around 10am on July 12 with force 10 winds of around 108kmh, the China Weather Administration said.
Zhejiang provincial officials forecast torrential rain in coastal regions and the possibility of flash floods, Xinhua said, warning of transport disruptions, rivers overflowing and farmland being inundated.
Around 1.72 million people had been evacuated to safe places by July 11, Xinhua said.
Sparing no effort
Classes, work, transport and outdoor activities were suspended ahead of the storm’s arrival, and more than 300 flights were cancelled in Zhejiang province.
Another 684 flights and 1,620 train services have been cancelled in Shanghai, media outlet The Paper said.
Images shared online on July 12 showed streets in Zhejiang’s Wenzhou city, a metropolis of nearly 10 million people, submerged in flood waters.
The Wenzhou government said in a statement it was “sparing no effort or cost... to guard against the (worst-case) scenario”.
Residents used planks to reinforce metal shutters protecting shops and taped windows, CCTV footage showed.
People resting at a shelter set up ahead of Typhoon Bavi's landfall, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, eastern China.
PHOTO: EPA
Torrential rain further north prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from their homes in Beijing, the government said.
More than 130,000 people have fled their homes in Fujian and around 34,000 people from Shanghai’s coastal areas and high-risk areas, state media reported.
Bavi had been downgraded to a typhoon as it moved across the Pacific Ocean after slamming into Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on July 6 as a super typhoon.
The storm is now forecast to move north-east while “gradually weakening”, before reaching the Yellow Sea on July 14 and transforming into an extratropical cyclone, the Chinese weather service said. The provinces in its path across China’s east are likely to experience heavy downpours until July 13, it added.
A person riding an electric scooter through a flooded road after heavy rain brought by Typhoon Bavi in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Warmer oceans
In the Philippines, at least 18 people were killed in landslides and other incidents triggered by heavy rain driven by Bavi, mostly on the southern island of Mindanao.
Nearly 11,000 people across the archipelago fled their homes, and dozens of ports remain closed, with 313 vessels taking shelter.
In northern Taiwan, more than 14,000 people were evacuated from their homes and hundreds of flights were cancelled. More than 170,000 households across the island were hit by power outages.
In Japan, thousands of households and facilities across Okinawa also lost power.
Oceans have experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said recently.
Warmer oceans intensify tropical storms and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.
Adding to the mix is the return in 2026 of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific Ocean surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years. AFP
