Typhoon Bavi hits eastern China after 2.8 million evacuate as flood threat moves inland

Typhoon Bavi made its first landfall in Yuhuan, Zhejiang province, at about 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026, before crossing the coast again near Yueqing, part of the city of Wenzhou, around midnight.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of approximately 144 kilometres per hour when it came ashore, making it the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike mainland China so far in 2026.

Bavi weakened into a tropical storm as it moved inland on July 12, but the reduction in wind speed did not end the emergency. The storm’s enormous circulation, with rain bands extending across an area roughly comparable in size to France, is expected to bring heavy or torrential rainfall across eastern and northern China for several days.

More than 2.8 million people were evacuated nationwide before and during the landfall. Over 2.2 million residents were moved in Zhejiang province, while Shanghai evacuated more than 290,000 people and Fujian province relocated more than 180,000.

No deaths or injuries had been officially reported in mainland China by July 12. Taiwan, which Bavi passed to the north without making landfall, reported at least 134 storm-related injuries.

Why did China evacuate more than 2.8 million people before Typhoon Bavi moved inland?

The evacuation reflected the combination of Bavi’s wind strength, extraordinary geographical size and potential to cause prolonged rain after landfall.

Zhejiang is one of China’s most densely populated and economically important coastal provinces. Its shoreline includes major ports, industrial centres, fishing communities and rapidly developed urban areas exposed to storm surge, coastal flooding and high winds.

More than 2.2 million people were moved from vulnerable areas within Zhejiang. Evacuations included residents of low-lying coastal communities, construction sites, temporary structures, flood-prone neighbourhoods and locations considered vulnerable to landslides.

Shanghai relocated more than 290,000 people from exposed areas. Although the centre of the storm crossed the coast south of Shanghai, Bavi’s size meant the municipality remained vulnerable to heavy rain, strong winds and transport disruption.

Fujian province evacuated more than 180,000 residents even though the storm’s main landfall occurred farther north. Coastal vessels, fishing communities and low-lying areas remained exposed to rough seas and outer rain bands.

Mass evacuation is intended to reduce deaths before roads become blocked, electricity fails or floodwater makes movement impossible. Moving millions of residents also requires shelters, food supplies, medical assistance and transport coordination across multiple provincial and municipal governments.

The absence of confirmed deaths in mainland China by July 12 suggests that precautionary measures may have reduced immediate loss of life. However, the most dangerous flooding period may occur after landfall as rainfall moves inland and accumulates across river basins.

What damage did Bavi cause during its two landfalls in Yuhuan and Yueqing?

The storm struck first near Yuhuan, a coastal county-level city within Taizhou, before making a second landfall near Yueqing in the Wenzhou administrative area.

Residents reported violent winds, falling roof tiles, broken branches and rainwater entering homes and businesses. Coastal properties experienced damage to windows, awnings, walls and shopfront structures.

In Yueqing, more than 1,300 trees were toppled, including over 700 that were completely uprooted. Fallen vegetation blocked roads and complicated the work of emergency teams trying to restore access.

Floodwater entered streets and residential areas. In some locations, water reached approximately halfway up vehicle tyres, while canals and rivers rose above levels residents said they had previously experienced.

Emergency workers deployed excavators, pumps and chainsaws to clear damaged roads and remove fallen trees. Restoration crews also faced the need to inspect electricity lines, drainage networks and buildings exposed to high winds.

Mountainous northern parts of Yueqing experienced landslides. Television footage showed large rocks falling onto roads and swollen watercourses submerging surrounding vegetation.

The two landfalls increased the area exposed to damaging winds. The first crossing affected the Yuhuan and Taizhou coastline, while the second brought the storm directly into the Wenzhou region.

Although Bavi weakened after moving inland, damaged trees, unstable slopes and flooded roads could remain dangerous after the strongest winds passed.

Why does a weakening tropical storm still threaten eastern and northern China?

Tropical cyclones contain both wind energy and enormous quantities of moisture. A storm can lose wind strength after landfall while continuing to produce destructive rainfall.

Bavi’s circulation is unusually broad. Rain bands extending hundreds of kilometres from the centre can repeatedly pass over the same cities, rivers and mountain catchments.

By the afternoon of July 12, the storm had moved into Anhui province. China’s National Meteorological Center expected it to turn toward the northeast before entering the northern Yellow Sea around July 14.

Heavy to torrential rainfall was forecast across Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning and Jilin provinces. Several of these areas had already received substantial rainfall before Bavi arrived.

When soil is already saturated, additional rain is less able to drain or soak into the ground. Water instead flows into roads, rivers and urban drainage networks, increasing the risk of flash floods.

Saturated mountain slopes are also more likely to fail. Landslides may occur hours or days after the strongest part of the storm has passed.

In Hebei province’s Qianxi county, nearly 190 millimetres of rain fell between Saturday and Sunday morning. Rescue teams used an inflatable boat to reach people stranded on top of a partially submerged vehicle.

The inland flood threat could ultimately affect more people than the coastal wind damage. Large cities, agricultural areas and transport corridors across eastern and northern China remain exposed as Bavi’s moisture moves northeast.

How severely have flights, trains and business activity been disrupted by Typhoon Bavi?

Transport networks across Zhejiang and Shanghai experienced large-scale cancellations designed to keep passengers and workers away from dangerous conditions.

In Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, two major railway stations suspended all services. Xiaoshan International Airport cancelled 327 flights.

Shanghai reportedly cancelled 1,620 train services and 684 flights. The disruption affected Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport, two of China’s most important aviation hubs.

Flight cancellations create consequences extending beyond the immediate storm zone. Aircraft and crews must later be repositioned, while passengers may face delays even after airports reopen.

Suspended rail services affect commuters, business travellers and freight movements across one of China’s most economically productive regions. Zhejiang and Shanghai form a major manufacturing, technology, logistics and export corridor.

Ports and coastal shipping were also affected as vessels sought shelter and authorities restricted movements during dangerous sea conditions.

Factories and businesses in exposed areas may remain closed until electricity, worker access and transport links are restored. Flooding can disrupt deliveries of raw materials and finished goods even when industrial facilities escape direct damage.

The scale of the cancellations demonstrates that Bavi became a national transport problem rather than a local coastal emergency. Its rain bands affected some of the country’s busiest population and commercial centres.

What happened in Taiwan before Typhoon Bavi reached mainland China?

Bavi passed north of Taiwan on July 11 without making a direct landfall, but strong winds and heavy rain affected much of the island.

Taiwan reported 134 injuries, including people who fell from motorcycles or bicycles, slipped on wet surfaces or were struck by objects moved by the wind.

The storm delivered nearly 80 centimetres of rain to one location in Miaoli County in northern Taiwan. Mountainous areas faced risks from landslides, swollen rivers and damaged roads.

More than 14,000 people had been evacuated before the storm, primarily from northern and eastern communities considered vulnerable to landslides or isolation.

Taiwan cancelled hundreds of international and domestic flights during the storm’s approach. On July 12, the transport ministry reported an additional 137 international cancellations and 62 cancelled domestic services.

Electricity failures, fallen trees and transport restrictions affected communities across the island. However, Taiwan reported no deaths from the typhoon.

Taiwan’s experience illustrates why the storm remained dangerous even without a direct landfall. Bavi’s large rain and wind field exposed communities located far from its centre.

The island’s precautionary evacuation and transport shutdown reduced movement during the most dangerous period, although the injury count continued rising as authorities received updated reports.

Why is Zhejiang particularly vulnerable to typhoons despite extensive preparedness?

Zhejiang faces the East China Sea and regularly experiences typhoons moving westward from the Pacific.

The province contains an extensive coastline, major estuaries, river systems and densely populated low-lying areas. These geographical conditions increase exposure to storm surge, river flooding and urban waterlogging.

Zhejiang is also an economic and technological powerhouse. It contains major manufacturing clusters, ports, logistics centres and large urban populations, increasing the financial consequences of even short disruptions.

Rapid development can create additional drainage pressure. Roads, buildings and industrial areas reduce the amount of exposed soil available to absorb rainfall.

Mountainous areas lie close to coastal cities. Heavy rain can therefore trigger landslides and flash floods within relatively short distances of major urban centres.

Chinese authorities have developed extensive early-warning systems, evacuation procedures, shelters and emergency-response capacity. The movement of more than two million people within Zhejiang demonstrates the scale of that preparation.

Preparedness cannot completely eliminate risk. Typhoons can change direction, intensify rapidly or release more rain than local systems were designed to handle.

Bavi’s large circulation and repeated landfalls tested both coastal defences and inland flood management at the same time.

Could Typhoon Bavi worsen flood conditions created by earlier storms across China?

China entered Bavi’s landfall period after several regions had already experienced destructive rainfall and flooding.

Southern China recently faced severe flooding linked to Tropical Storm Maysak, including a reservoir breach and dozens of deaths in Guangxi.

Heavy rainfall in central and northern provinces had also raised river levels and saturated soil before Bavi moved inland.

Successive storms create cumulative risk. Reservoirs may have less spare capacity, damaged roads may remain unrepaired and emergency workers may already be deployed elsewhere.

Agricultural areas can suffer repeated losses when one storm damages crops and a second prevents fields from draining or delays harvesting.

Urban drainage systems may also remain filled with sediment or debris, reducing their ability to handle another period of extreme rain.

Bavi’s projected route toward Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning and Jilin places additional pressure on regions that may not normally receive the storm’s strongest winds but can still experience severe flooding.

The national response must therefore coordinate several simultaneous emergencies, including coastal recovery, inland flood prevention and the continuation of relief operations from earlier disasters.

How could El Niño influence China’s remaining 2026 typhoon and flood risks?

Weather agencies and climate scientists expect a strong El Niño pattern to influence global weather during the coming months.

El Niño involves unusually warm surface waters across parts of the equatorial Pacific. It can alter atmospheric circulation, rainfall patterns and tropical cyclone tracks.

Scientists have warned that El Niño conditions may encourage some western Pacific typhoons to travel farther west toward China’s coast.

Warmer ocean conditions can also provide additional energy and moisture for tropical cyclones, although the behaviour of individual storms depends on several atmospheric factors.

Rapid intensification presents a particular challenge because communities may have less time to prepare between the issuance of warnings and the arrival of destructive conditions.

China’s National Climate Center has forecast above-average typhoon activity during July, including a higher-than-normal number of storms potentially reaching the mainland.

Bavi’s path from the Mariana Islands through Japan, Taiwan and China demonstrates the regional reach of large western Pacific storms.

Climate change does not determine the precise route of an individual typhoon. However, warmer air can hold more moisture, increasing the potential for extreme rainfall when storm systems move over populated land.

The interaction between El Niño, unusually warm oceans and long-term climate change could make the remainder of China’s 2026 typhoon season more difficult to manage.

What should authorities monitor as Typhoon Bavi moves toward the Yellow Sea?

The first priority will be rainfall intensity across Anhui and neighbouring provinces as the weakened storm moves northeast.

Authorities will monitor rivers, reservoirs and urban drainage systems for signs that water levels are rising faster than expected.

Mountainous districts will require landslide surveillance. Roads may need to be closed before slopes fail, particularly where earlier rainfall has already weakened the ground.

Transport restoration will need to proceed cautiously. Train lines, airports and roads can reopen only after inspections confirm that tracks, runways, bridges and electrical systems are safe.

Evacuated residents may not be allowed to return immediately. Homes can remain exposed to floodwater, electrical hazards and structural damage after wind warnings are downgraded.

Agricultural losses will become clearer once rainfall decreases. Zhejiang and neighbouring provinces contain significant farming and aquaculture operations vulnerable to saltwater, flooding and wind damage.

The absence of reported deaths in mainland China is encouraging, but it does not confirm that the emergency is over. Search teams and local authorities may still receive delayed reports from isolated communities.

The most important measure of the response will be whether China can prevent a high-casualty inland flood disaster while simultaneously restoring services across the densely populated coast.

What are the key takeaways from Typhoon Bavi’s landfall and inland flood threat?

• Typhoon Bavi made two landfalls in Zhejiang province late on July 11, first near Yuhuan at approximately 11:20 p.m. and then near Yueqing around midnight.
• More than 2.8 million people were evacuated across China, including over 2.2 million in Zhejiang, more than 290,000 in Shanghai and over 180,000 in Fujian province.
• Bavi was the most powerful typhoon to strike mainland China in 2026, carrying maximum sustained winds of approximately 144 kilometres per hour when it reached the Zhejiang coast.
• No deaths or injuries had been officially reported in mainland China by July 12, although flooding, landslides, fallen trees and property damage were recorded across coastal communities.
• More than 1,300 trees were toppled in Yueqing, while emergency crews used excavators, pumps and chainsaws to clear roads and restore access in affected neighbourhoods.
• Shanghai cancelled approximately 1,620 train services and 684 flights, while Hangzhou suspended services at two major railway stations and cancelled 327 flights.
• Taiwan reported 134 injuries after Bavi passed north of the island, while nearly 80 centimetres of rain fell in part of Miaoli County and additional flights were cancelled on July 12.
• Bavi weakened into a tropical storm after landfall, but forecasters warned that its massive rain bands could cause prolonged flooding across Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning and Jilin.