Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan and China were preparing for Typhoon Bavi on Thursday as the storm churned southeast of Taiwan with winds near 200 kph, while parts of China were still dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Maysak. Authorities warned Bavi could become the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan since Kong-rey in 2024.
Storm path and scale
Bavi was about 1,000 km at its widest point, roughly the width of France, and was forecast to skirt northern Taiwan before making landfall in China’s eastern Fujian province on Saturday evening, according to China’s National Meteorological Centre.
Jason Chang, a forecaster at Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, told Reuters that storms of this size had been fairly rare in recent years. He said Bavi was set to be the largest storm by size to hit the island since 1987.
Taiwan preparations
Authorities in Taiwan urged residents to stock up on supplies and prepare for severe conditions.
In the northeastern port town of Suao, hundreds of fishing boats crowded the harbour for shelter. Residents queued for sandbags from local authorities, while farmers rushed to harvest rice before the weather deteriorated.
Chen Ming-hui, a 60-year-old captain of a 3-metric-ton fishing vessel, said he hoped the typhoon would track further north and avoid a direct hit. He recalled previous storms that had sunk boats and flooded the fishing town.
“Don’t be fooled by the nice and calm weather now. A storm like this could be the most terrifying,” Chen said while inspecting ropes tightened on his boat.
Maysak aftermath in China
In China, rescue workers were still searching through wreckage left by Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 39 people as it moved through the southwestern region of Guangxi earlier this week, local officials told a news conference on Thursday.
Officials said nine people remained missing across the region.
Wider weather risks
China, Japan and Taiwan are increasingly exposed to destructive weather events that scientists link to climate change. This year is drawing added concern because the expected emergence of El Nino could raise temperatures and help fuel more frequent and intense typhoons.
Jason Nicholls, an expert at AccuWeather, said some weakening in wind intensity was expected from Thursday, but Bavi would remain a dangerous storm as it affected Taiwan and eastern China from later Friday into Monday.
