Residents across eastern China are preparing for the arrival of Super Typhoon Bavi, a storm spanning nearly 940,000 square kilometres that has prompted supply stockpiling, travel concerns and emergency preparations as authorities warn of heavy rainfall and extreme weather risks.
Satellite imagery from China’s official weather forecaster showed Bavi covering an area about nine times the size of Zhejiang province and roughly 850 times the land area of Hong Kong. Although the storm weakened slightly on Thursday morning, it remained classified as a super typhoon, according to the National Meteorological Centre.
The centre forecast that Bavi would move northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometres per hour, passing near Taiwan on Saturday before approaching Fujian or Zhejiang. The storm was expected to bring rainfall of up to 40 centimetres in some areas, with officials warning that the public should prepare not only for the typhoon’s potential landfall but also for widespread extreme rainfall.
The National Meteorological Centre raised its typhoon alert to orange on Thursday morning, the second-highest level in China’s warning system.
In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, high school English tutor Hui Xinyi said uncertainty over the storm’s path had increased public concern. She said she had been repeatedly checking weather applications and social media updates as residents waited to see whether Bavi would make landfall or pass nearby.
Hui, who lives on the 25th floor of a high-rise building, said she planned to secure her windows and purchase instant food and bottled water in case strong winds disrupted electricity or water supplies. She also said weather-related disruptions could force her to move classes online or postpone them.
In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, resident Tang Wanmei said she was monitoring the typhoon because she was scheduled to fly from Shanghai to Yunnan province on Monday. She said her main concern was whether the flight would be cancelled.
Concerns over travel disruptions have spread online, with users on the Chinese social media platform RedNote discussing possible flight changes, hotel reservation costs and uncertainty over whether airlines would announce cancellations.
The storm’s effects were also expected beyond eastern coastal areas. The Taishan mountain tourist destination in Shandong province announced a temporary closure on Wednesday night, advising visitors to leave as severe weather conditions, including thunderstorms, strong winds, hail, tornadoes and short-term heavy rainfall, were forecast.
Meanwhile, southern China continued to deal with the consequences of earlier severe weather linked to Typhoon Maysak. Authorities in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said on Thursday that 39 people had died and nine remained missing following the storm.
Floods, landslides, strong rainstorms and tornadoes have caused deaths across China since the annual flood season began on July 1. Meteorologists have warned that the country faces complex disaster prevention challenges this year.
In Guangxi, flooding also severely affected the Guigang Zoo, where more than 100 animals were reported missing after cages were damaged. The zoo issued a public appeal for assistance in locating the animals, including two zebras, 30 peacocks, two ostriches, nine deer and multiple parrots.
The zoo warned residents not to approach the animals, saying some species, including ostriches and raccoons, could attack when frightened. At least one zebra was seen in a nearby village after escaping, according to a social media post, though it was unclear whether it had been recovered.
Zookeeper Wang Liyuan told Chinese media that staff secured carnivores inside their enclosures when flooding struck on Monday to prevent them from escaping. She said three lions had drowned and that more than 20 types of herbivores were lost. The zoo estimated its losses at about 4 million yuan (US$588,000).
In Guigang, flooding also trapped more than 12,000 teachers and students inside school buildings. State broadcaster CCTV reported that rescuers evacuated them by boat on Wednesday night.
