Typhoon Bavi made landfall in China on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of nearly 1.7 million people in Zhejiang province and neighboring areas. The storm, which weakened to a severe tropical storm, first struck Taizhou before a second landfall in Wenzhou around midnight (17:00 GMT).
Typhoon Bavi's path and impact
The typhoon, spanning 1,000km at its widest, brought heavy rainfall after brushing past Taiwan and pummeling remote Japanese islands. Earlier, landslides triggered by the storm killed at least 17 people in the Philippines. Bavi began as a super typhoon, hitting Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with 290km/h winds before weakening to 144km/h as it reached Japan’s Sakishima islands, injuring five and leaving thousands without power.
By Sunday morning, the storm’s center reached Hangzhou in Zhejiang. Forecasters predict it will move to eastern Anhui on Monday and the northern Yellow Sea by Tuesday, gradually losing intensity.
Disruptions and evacuations
Authorities in Zhejiang suspended schools, work, and outdoor activities, while 400 flights and dozens of train services were canceled. Wenzhou, a city of 10 million, evacuated hundreds of thousands. Beijing also ordered 100,000 evacuations to "avoid risk."
"We could hear roof tiles and tree branches falling," said Li Liangxing, a Wenzhou resident, adding, "of course we were scared."
Aftermath of earlier typhoon
Parts of southern China are still recovering from Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 39 people, destroyed livestock, and caused significant agricultural losses earlier this week. Maysak also triggered two rare tornadoes in Hubei province.
