Typhoon Bavi drives mass evacuations in eastern China as landfall nears
China has moved more than 1.8 million people from risk areas as Typhoon Bavi approaches the country's east coast, with the storm forecast to reach Wenzhou in Zhejiang province overnight. The typhoon has already passed southern Japan and northern Taiwan, and officials are warning that heavy rain and flooding remain the main concern even though the system has weakened. The largest evacuations have been carried out in Zhejiang, with another 100,000 people moved in neighbouring Fujian province.
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The storm was reported to have sustained winds of up to 144 km/h on Saturday morning, and meteorologists said it was carrying a large amount of moisture. That increases the risk of intense rainfall and flooding as it nears Wenzhou, a city of about 10 million people. In Taiwan, more than 14,000 people were evacuated, mainly from mountainous areas, as a precaution against heavy rain.
Authorities there also cancelled 920 international flights and 282 domestic flights, while schools and public offices were closed. The scale of the response underlines the disruption Typhoon Bavi is causing across the region. In Taiwan, 87 people were injured, most of them in falls from motorcycles or bicycles or after being struck by wind-blown objects.
Japan and Taiwan have not reported deaths linked to the typhoon so far, but the wider weather system has already been associated with 17 deaths in the Philippines, where heavy rain worsened the monsoon. The evacuations in China are intended to reduce the risk of flooding, landslides and wind damage before landfall. Bavi's approach is significant because it is affecting several places at once and forcing emergency planning across coastal and mountainous areas.
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Wenzhou and the surrounding parts of Zhejiang are densely populated, so even a weakened storm can have major consequences if rainfall is prolonged. The situation also shows how quickly a typhoon can disrupt transport, schools and public services across East Asia, even before it makes direct landfall. For local authorities, the immediate challenge is to keep people out of the most exposed areas while preparing for possible flooding overnight.
The storm has already moved through a long path across the region, passing southern Japan and northern Taiwan before turning toward mainland China. That broader track has left multiple jurisdictions dealing with the same weather system over several days. In China, the focus is now on Zhejiang and Fujian, where evacuations have been concentrated and where the heaviest rain is expected.
The response also reflects lessons from earlier severe weather events in the region, when flooding and landslides caused major damage after heavy rainfall. What remains unclear is how much rain will fall when Bavi reaches the coast and whether the evacuations will be enough to limit damage. Officials are likely to keep emergency teams on alert through the night as the storm moves inland.
More than 600,000 people have been evacuated in eastern China as Typhoon Bavi approaches the coast, with authorities warning of heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous conditions before landfall. The storm is expected to reach Wenzhou in Zhejiang province in the early hours of Sunday, after passing Japan's Sakishima islands and grazing northern Taiwan. Chinese officials have issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest level in the country's four-tier warning system.
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Authorities said more than half a million people were moved from Zhejiang province and another 100,000 from neighbouring Fujian province. In Ningde, Fujian, more than 3,700 people were evacuated from high-risk coastal areas by Friday evening, according to state media, and more than 17,000 emergency rescue workers were placed on standby. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, rail services reduced, and many schools and ferry services suspended as the storm nears the densely populated eastern seaboard.
Bavi has weakened from super typhoon strength, but meteorologists say it remains a significant risk because of the large volumes of moisture in its rain bands. The storm had earlier moved across the US Pacific islands and then tracked northwest through the region, affecting several jurisdictions in succession. In Taiwan, at least 36 people were injured, mainly in motorcycle accidents on slippery roads during heavy rain and wind, while more than 14,000 people were evacuated there as a precaution.
The scale of the evacuations in China reflects concern about flooding, landslides and wind damage in coastal and low-lying areas. Wenzhou, where landfall is expected, is a major city in Zhejiang and has a large population, making transport disruption and emergency planning especially important. The storm also comes as parts of southern and central China are still dealing with the effects of Tropical Storm Maysak earlier in the week, which caused deadly flooding in other provinces.
The wider regional impact has already been severe. In southern China, at least 39 people died in Nanning after a breached dam sent water through the streets, while at least 17 people were killed in the Philippines after heavy rain linked to an enhanced southwest monsoon and Bavi's influence triggered landslides. Japan's remote southwestern islands have also reported damage and power cuts, showing how the same weather system has affected multiple territories over several days.
What remains unclear is the extent of damage once Bavi makes landfall and how much rain will fall in the areas already evacuated. Officials are likely to keep emergency teams on alert through the weekend as the storm moves inland and conditions are assessed. The main focus now is whether the precautionary evacuations and transport shutdowns will limit casualties and disruption in the hours ahead.
More than 900,000 people have been evacuated in China as Typhoon Bavi approaches the country, with officials warning that the storm is expected to make landfall early on Saturday. The evacuations have been carried out in Beijing, Wenzhou and surrounding areas, according to city governments. The typhoon is also bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Taiwan and Japan's southwestern islands.
City authorities said more than half a million people had been moved in Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, and more than 100,000 in neighbouring Fujian province. In Xiaguan Town in Zhejiang, the entire population of more than 10,000 people was evacuated because of exposure to strong winds, according to state television. Officials also warned of exceptionally heavy rain in eastern Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian.
The storm has already caused disruption beyond mainland China. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Bavi's maximum sustained winds had slowed to 144 km/h, with gusts of around 180 km/h, as it weakened in intensity. The agency warned of extremely torrential rain and dangerous waves of up to 10 metres along the coast, while Taiwan evacuated more than 14,000 people from mainly mountainous areas and cancelled 920 international flights and all 282 domestic flights.
Japan's remote southwestern islands have also been affected, with trees toppled and tens of thousands left without power. The evacuations come after a week of severe weather across parts of the region. Extreme weather in southern and central China has already left at least 39 people dead, caused dozens of rivers to overflow and led to a reservoir dam bursting.
In the Philippines, 17 people died due to heavy rains brought by an enhanced southwest monsoon, which was worsened by Bavi's impact. The storm had earlier hit Guam and the Northern Marianas as a super typhoon before being downgraded as it moved across the Pacific. Bavi's approach is significant because it is affecting several jurisdictions at once, forcing large-scale emergency planning across coastal and mountainous areas.
The scale of the evacuations in China suggests authorities are trying to reduce the risk of flooding, wind damage and landslides before landfall. The disruption to transport in Taiwan also shows how quickly a storm system can affect regional travel and infrastructure even without making landfall. What remains unclear is how severe the impact will be once Bavi reaches China and whether the heaviest rain will fall in the areas already evacuated.
Officials have warned of dangerous conditions, but the full extent of damage will depend on the storm's track and intensity over the next day. Further updates are likely as landfall approaches and emergency services assess conditions across the affected provinces.
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