Former Super Typhoon Bavi made landfall in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, late Saturday after carving a path across the western Pacific that brought severe weather to Japan’s southern islands, Taiwan and eastern China. Although the cyclone weakened before reaching the Chinese coast, meteorologists warn that its expansive rain bands and deep tropical moisture will continue producing dangerous flooding as it moves inland.
Bavi came ashore at approximately 11:20 p.m. local time with maximum sustained winds of around 144 km/h (89 mph), equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. China’s National Meteorological Center maintained an Orange Typhoon Alert, the second-highest level in the country’s four-tier warning system, warning of destructive winds, torrential rainfall, storm surge and dangerous coastal conditions.
The cyclone developed over the exceptionally warm waters of the western Pacific near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where sea surface temperatures above 28°C (82°F) and favorable atmospheric conditions allowed it to rapidly intensify into a super typhoon earlier this week. At its peak, Bavi produced sustained winds estimated at around 216 km/h (134 mph). Although increasing wind shear and interaction with land gradually weakened the storm, its circulation expanded substantially, allowing it to transport enormous quantities of tropical moisture toward eastern China.
AVISO 🌀
— Geól. Sergio Almazán (@chematierra) July 11, 2026
El tifón #Bavi toca tierra en Zhejiang, China 🇨🇳 #TyphoonBavi
Vía @KellyCa62169594 pic.twitter.com/8iQKGqS7Q9
That moisture is now expected to become the storm’s greatest hazard.
Forecasts call for widespread rainfall totals of 300 to 500 mm (12 to 20 inches) across parts of Zhejiang and neighboring provinces, raising the risk of flash flooding, river flooding, landslides and urban inundation. Tropical cyclones frequently produce their most significant impacts after landfall, as slow-moving rain bands continue feeding moisture into already saturated areas long after peak winds begin to weaken.
Ahead of landfall, Chinese authorities carried out one of the country’s largest precautionary evacuations of the year. More than 1.7 million residents were relocated from vulnerable communities in Zhejiang Province, while approximately 34,000 people were evacuated from Shanghai. In neighboring Fujian Province, thousands more residents were moved to safety, including more than 3,700 people from high-risk coastal areas around Ningde. Authorities also deployed over 17,000 emergency personnel, suspended ferry services, cancelled hundreds of flights, reduced high-speed rail operations and closed schools across the region.
Bavi is the second typhoon to strike China in just over a week, following Typhoon Maysak, which made landfall farther south last weekend. Disaster response agencies remain on heightened alert after Maysak caused catastrophic flooding in southern China, including deadly flooding in Guangxi after a dam failure near Nanning.
Before reaching China, Bavi tracked north of Taiwan, where officials evacuated more than 14,000 people from mountainous regions vulnerable to flooding and landslides. Forecasts called for nearly 1 metre (3.3 feet) of rainfall in some locations, prompting widespread closures and the cancellation of approximately 920 international flights and hundreds of domestic services. Wind gusts approaching 100 km/h (62 mph) were recorded in parts of northern Taiwan, while swollen rivers and fallen trees caused localized disruption. More than 100 people were injured, though the island avoided a direct landfall.
Earlier, the typhoon swept across Japan’s southern Sakishima Islands, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 flights as authorities warned of storm surge, dangerous waves and gale-force winds affecting Okinawa Prefecture.
Even without making landfall in the Philippines, Bavi significantly strengthened the southwest monsoon, producing prolonged heavy rainfall that triggered widespread flooding and landslides. The enhanced monsoon claimed at least 17 lives, demonstrating how powerful tropical cyclones can generate severe impacts hundreds of kilometers from their centers by intensifying seasonal monsoon circulation.
As Bavi continues moving northwest across eastern China, forecasters expect its winds to weaken steadily. However, its broad tropical moisture plume will continue feeding heavy rainfall well into the weekend, keeping the threat of flooding and landslides elevated long after the cyclone itself begins to dissipate.
