Typhoon Bavi Slams Into Eastern China After Triggering Mass Evacuations Across Taiwan, Japan and China’s Coast
Typhoon Bavi made landfall in Taizhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province on Saturday, bringing powerful winds of up to 144 km/h and torrential rain after sweeping past Japan’s southwestern islands and northern Taiwan. Chinese authorities ordered one of the country’s largest precautionary evacuations this year, relocating nearly two million people from vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas before the storm came ashore.
The powerful cyclone became China’s second major typhoon to threaten the mainland within a week, forcing emergency agencies to remain on high alert following the destruction caused by Typhoon Maysak. Officials warned that saturated ground and swollen rivers significantly increase the risk of flash floods, landslides and urban flooding as Bavi moves inland.
Authorities in Zhejiang evacuated more than 1.7 million residents, while tens of thousands were also moved to safety in Shanghai and surrounding regions. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, ferry services suspended, schools closed and high-speed rail operations disrupted as emergency crews prepared for widespread impacts. China also issued an orange typhoon warning alongside a red rainstorm alert for several provinces.
Before reaching mainland China, Bavi skirted northern Taiwan, where authorities evacuated over 14,000 residents from mountainous districts vulnerable to landslides. Nearly 1,200 domestic and international flights were cancelled, government offices and schools shut across much of the island, and emergency services responded to dozens of storm-related incidents. More than 100 people suffered injuries, although no fatalities were immediately reported.
Japan’s southern Sakishima Islands and parts of Okinawa also experienced heavy rain, gale-force winds and dangerous coastal conditions as the typhoon passed nearby. More than 200 flights were cancelled and maritime services were disrupted while residents were urged to remain indoors until the storm moved away from the region.
The storm’s wider impact extended beyond East Asia. In the Philippines, Bavi intensified the southwest monsoon, triggering severe flooding and landslides that left at least 17 people dead and displaced thousands of families, highlighting the cyclone’s far-reaching effects even before its closest approach to China.
Meteorologists said Bavi is expected to weaken gradually as it tracks northwestward across eastern China. However, forecasters cautioned that weakening wind speeds do not eliminate the danger, as the system continues to carry enormous amounts of tropical moisture capable of producing prolonged heavy rainfall, flash floods and river overflows across several provinces.
The back-to-back arrival of Typhoon Maysak and Typhoon Bavi has renewed concerns about increasingly frequent extreme weather events across East Asia. Climate experts say warmer ocean temperatures are providing additional energy for tropical cyclones, while emergency planners warn that repeated storms leave communities more vulnerable as infrastructure and flood-control systems struggle to recover between disasters.
