Typhoon Bavi makes landfall in Zhejiang as evacuations top 1.7 million

Typhoon Bavi made landfall in Yuhuan, in China's eastern Zhejiang province, late on Saturday night after passing north of Taiwan. Authorities said the storm brought strong winds and heavy rain as it moved onshore, with the national weather centre expecting it to weaken gradually inland. The landfall came after eastern China had already been bracing for the system with large-scale evacuations and transport restrictions.

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Chinese authorities said more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated in Zhejiang by Saturday morning, while Shanghai relocated around 34,000 residents from high-risk areas by noon. In Fujian province, more than 3,700 people were moved from coastal areas and more than 17,000 emergency rescue workers were placed on standby. The weather centre issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest level in its four-tier system, and also issued the first red rainstorm alert of the year.

The storm disrupted transport across the region, with hundreds of flights cancelled and some high-speed rail services halted. Schools and ferry services were also suspended in affected areas, adding to the impact on daily life and travel. Chinese authorities also said 40 million yuan had been allocated in response, underlining the scale of the preparations as the storm approached the coast.

Bavi is the second typhoon to affect China in just over a week, following Maysak, which made landfall in southern China on 3 July. Its path across Taiwan, Japan and then mainland China has made it a regional weather event with consequences beyond one province. The storm also intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the southern Philippines, where at least 17 people were killed in landslides before Bavi moved away toward Taiwan.

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The latest landfall highlights the vulnerability of China's eastern seaboard, where dense populations and major transport links can be quickly affected by severe weather. Zhejiang is one of the country's most economically active coastal provinces, so disruption there can affect logistics, commuting and supply chains well beyond the immediate coastline. The repeated arrival of typhoons in a short period has also increased pressure on local authorities to keep evacuations, alerts and emergency services in place.

What remains unclear is the extent of damage inland as Bavi weakens and whether further evacuations or transport restrictions will be needed. Officials have not reported confirmed deaths or serious injuries linked to the storm in China so far. The next developments to watch are rainfall totals, flood risk and any updated assessments from provincial and national weather authorities.

Super Typhoon Bavi made landfall in eastern China on Saturday, striking Zhejiang province with winds of up to 145 km/h. The cyclone reached the coast at 11:20 pm local time, according to the state news agency, which cited the provincial meteorological observatory. It had already passed over Taiwan and Japan before arriving on the Chinese mainland.

Authorities said more than 1.7 million residents had been evacuated from their homes in Zhejiang as a precaution. In total, more than 2 million people left their homes across China and Taiwan as the storm approached. Officials also suspended classes, outdoor activities and parts of the transport network, while more than 1,100 domestic and international flights were cancelled.

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Ferry services and some railway lines were also interrupted or reduced, adding to the disruption across the region. At the time of reporting, there were no confirmed deaths or serious injuries linked to the typhoon. The storm brought strong winds, heavy rain and large waves, with coastal areas among the most exposed.

The landfall comes after a week of severe weather in China, underlining the wider strain that extreme storms have placed on several provinces. The scale of the evacuations and transport cancellations shows how authorities have sought to limit risk before the storm's arrival. Zhejiang is one of the country's most economically active coastal provinces, so disruption there can affect travel, logistics and daily life well beyond the immediate coastline.

Before reaching China, Bavi affected northern Taiwan and remote islands in southwest Japan, where it caused strong winds, heavy rain and transport interruptions. The storm's path across multiple territories has made it a regional event rather than a localised weather system. It also follows other recent severe weather incidents in China, including deadly flooding in Guangxi, a landslide in Gansu and storms and tornadoes in Hubei, which together have added to public concern about extreme weather.

What remains unclear is how much additional damage Bavi may cause as it moves inland and whether further evacuations or transport restrictions will be needed. Officials have not reported any confirmed fatalities or serious injuries so far, but conditions may still change as the storm weakens or shifts. The next developments to watch are rainfall totals, flood risk and any updated assessments from provincial authorities.

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