Typhoon Bavi weakens after making landfall in China as nearly two million evacuate

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

Before reaching China, the storm battered northern Taiwan and Japan s remote southwestern islands, uprooting trees and leaving tens of thousands of households without electricity.

The region has already been reeling from extreme weather, with storms over the past week killing at least 39 people in southern and central China while causing rivers to overflow and a reservoir to burst.

Bavi made landfall at around 11:20pm local time on Saturday in Zhejiang province, packing winds of up to 144 kilometres per hour, according to China s state news agency Xinhua.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that the hardest-hit areas experienced heavy rain and strong winds that uprooted roadside trees and caused rapid flooding.

By 5:00am on Sunday, China s weather authorities downgraded the system to a severe tropical storm, with its centre located near the commercial hub of Yiwu. Forecasters said it was expected to move northwest with sustained winds of around 108 kilometres per hour.

Authorities warned of torrential rain, flash floods, transport disruptions, overflowing rivers and flooding of farmland across Zhejiang province.

As of Saturday morning, around 1.72 million people had been evacuated to safer locations.

Ahead of the storm, schools, workplaces, public transport and outdoor activities were suspended across affected areas. More than 400 flights and dozens of train services were cancelled.

Officials in Wenzhou said the large-scale precautionary measures were aimed at preventing the worst possible consequences.

Residents reinforced shopfronts with wooden boards and taped windows as authorities warned of exceptionally heavy rainfall in Zhejiang and neighbouring Fujian province.

Further north, heavy rainfall prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 people in Beijing, where authorities increased water releases from the Miyun Reservoir to manage expected floodwaters.

State media reported that more than 130,000 people were evacuated in Fujian province, while around 34,000 people were moved from coastal and high-risk areas in Shanghai.

Earlier in the week, Bavi had crossed the Pacific as a super typhoon before weakening after passing Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

In the Philippines, the death toll from landslides and other rain-related incidents triggered by the storm rose to 18, with most fatalities reported on the southern island of Mindanao.

Nearly 11,000 people across the Philippines were displaced, while dozens of ports remained closed and 313 vessels sought shelter.

Although Bavi had initially been forecast to become Taiwan s strongest storm in more than three decades, its wind field narrowed before reaching the island.

In northern Taiwan, more than 14,000 residents were evacuated, hundreds of flights were cancelled and over 170,000 households experienced power outages.

Taiwan s weather authorities had warned of extremely heavy rainfall and waves reaching up to 10 metres along the northern coastline.

Thousands of homes and facilities also lost electricity across Japan s Okinawa islands as the storm swept through the region.

Scientists say warmer ocean temperatures are contributing to stronger tropical storms. The European Union s Copernicus Marine Service recently reported that the world s oceans experienced their hottest June on record.

Warmer seas provide more energy and moisture for tropical cyclones, increasing the likelihood of heavier rainfall and more intense storms. Meteorologists also say the return of the El Niño climate pattern this year could further influence weather conditions across the Pacific region.