Typhoon Bavi made landfall on the Zhejiang coast in the early hours of Sunday, July 12, 2026 [1, 2].
The scale of the evacuation and the storm's intensity highlight the vulnerability of China's eastern industrial hubs to increasingly powerful tropical cyclones. With a width of approximately 1,000 km [5], the storm's massive footprint threatened critical infrastructure and dense population centers.
Authorities focused emergency efforts on the coastline of Zhejiang Province, specifically between the counties of Sanmen and Cangnan near the city of Wenzhou [1, 3]. The storm intensified into a super-typhoon before moving westward toward the mainland [1, 2].
Wind speeds reached critical levels during the landfall. The storm brought sustained winds of over 130 km/h [3] and peak gusts of 122 km/h [1]. These conditions triggered a maximum red rain-storm alert and an orange typhoon alert to warn residents of imminent danger [1].
Massive displacement occurred as the storm approached. Reports on the scale of the evacuations vary, with some sources stating hundreds of thousands of people were moved [1], while other reports indicate more than one million people have been evacuated [2].
Chinese authorities coordinated the response to protect lives and property against the storm's surge. The high winds specifically impacted offshore wind farms in the region as the system moved inland [5].
“More than one million people have been evacuated.”
The landfall of Typhoon Bavi underscores the recurring challenge China faces in managing large-scale urban evacuations during the typhoon season. The discrepancy in evacuation numbers suggests the immense logistical scale of the operation, while the targeting of the Zhejiang coast—a major economic engine—indicates potential disruptions to regional shipping and energy production from offshore wind farms.
