Typhoon Bavi Makes Landfall in Eastern China's Zhejiang Province

Typhoon Bavi made landfall in eastern China's Zhejiang province at approximately 11:20 p.m. Saturday with maximum sustained winds of 144 km/h. The storm first struck the coastal city of Yuhuan before its eye moved near the commercial hub of Yiwu on Sunday morning.

Chinese authorities evacuated 1.72 million people in Zhejiang province by Saturday morning, with nearly two million moved from high-risk areas across eastern China. More than 100,000 residents left Beijing due to linked torrential rain, while Fujian province saw more than 130,000 evacuations and Shanghai relocated 34,000 people from coastal zones.

Zhejiang officials suspended classes, work, transport and outdoor activities, and more than 400 flights and dozens of train services were cancelled in the province.

Bavi weakened to a severe tropical storm by 5:00 a.m. Sunday, with force 11 winds of around 108 km/h forecast near its center as it moved northwest. The typhoon lashed northern Taiwan before reaching China, prompting the evacuation of more than 14,000 people and the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

More than 170,000 households across Taiwan lost power. In Japan's Sakishima islands, five people were injured and thousands of households lost electricity. Bavi began as a super typhoon that struck Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the week.

It follows Typhoon Maysak, which made landfall in southern China on July 3 and left at least 39 people dead. In the Philippines, landslides and flooding tied to Bavi raised the death toll to 18, mostly on Mindanao. Nearly 11,000 people fled their homes, and 313 vessels sheltered in closed ports.

China's National Meteorological Center issued an orange typhoon alert and the year's first red rainstorm alert. The storm is expected to continue weakening as it moves inland.