China braces for Super Typhoon Bavi amid extreme weather warnings

Floodwaters in southern China were expected to spread further as Super Typhoon Bavi approached, a giant storm more than 1,000 kilometers in diameter after passing Rota in the Western Pacific with winds above 290 kph, or 180 mph. The U.S. National Weather Service warned of catastrophic winds and possible gusts up to 215 mph as the system moved near Guam, Tinian and Saipan.

China’s National Climate Center forecast July could bring up to six typhoons in the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea, above the average of 3.8 for the month. It projected as many as three landfalls in July, compared with a norm of 1.8, and said the storms were likely to be stronger than usual. In its April flood-season outlook, the center forecast 24 to 26 typhoons forming over the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea in 2026, with 7 to 9 expected to hit China.

Two tornadoes in Hubei province killed at least 11 people and left hundreds injured, with winds of up to 149 kph, or 93 mph, overturning cars and tearing roofs from buildings. The death toll from storms in parts of China rose to 15, and tens of thousands of people were evacuated. In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, flooding after Typhoon Maysak left four people dead and eight missing, while water and power outages disrupted towns and cities.

Xi Jinping urged “all-out” rescue and disaster-relief efforts, including treatment of the injured and resettlement of affected people, to minimize casualties and prevent secondary disasters. The central government also allocated 50 million yuan for thunderstorm-hit Hubei.