Suao Port, as Typhoon Bavi approaches Taiwan, in Yilan, Taiwan, on July 9, 2026. | Photo credit: Reuters
China is still recovering from Typhoon Maysak, with 39 dead in storm-induced flooding in Guangxi; Nine others remain missing
China and Taiwan were bracing for possibly “the most destructive tropical storm in years” when Typhoon Bavi slammed into southeastern Taiwan on Thursday (July 9, 2026), with winds near 200 kph (124 mph), and as parts of China were still recovering from Typhoon Maysak.
Taiwan authorities urged residents to stock up on supplies and prepare for what could be the most powerful typhoon to hit the island since 2024.
Bavi, which is currently about 1,000 km (621 miles) at its widest point or about the width of France, is forecast to skirt northern Taiwan before making landfall in eastern China’s Fujian province on Saturday night (July 11, 2026), according to the China National Meteorological Center.
China is still recovering from Typhoon Maysak, which wreaked havoc in the southwestern region of Guangxi. At least 39 people died due to flooding caused by the storm in Guangxi, local officials said at a news conference on Thursday. Nine people remain missing throughout the region, they added.
Bavi will be the largest storm by size to hit Taiwan since 1987, said Jason Chang, a forecaster with Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Administration. ReutersStorms of this size have been “quite rare in recent years.”
China, the world’s second-largest economy, along with its neighbors Japan and Taiwan, are increasingly exposed to destructive weather events that scientists link to climate change. This year is of particular concern because the expected appearance of El Niño could raise temperatures and “help fuel more frequent and intense typhoons.”
If Bavi maintains its predicted intensity, it would be the most powerful typhoon, as hurricanes are known in the Asia-Pacific region, since super typhoon Kong-rey in 2024, according to AccuWeather, a commercial weather forecasting service.
“Some loss of wind intensity is expected starting Thursday, but Bavi will remain a dangerous storm as it hits Taiwan and eastern China from Friday through Monday,” according to AccuWeather international forecast expert Jason Nicholls.
Preparing for impact
Japan Airlines said it had canceled 48 domestic flights scheduled for Friday (July 10, 2026) due to the typhoon, which affected about 7,610 passengers.
ANA said it would cancel 34 flights mainly serving Okinawa’s Ishigaki and Miyako airports, affecting around 1,800 passengers on Friday, and that 33 more domestic flights would be canceled on Saturday (July 11) affecting 5,900 people.
“We need to pay close attention to Bavi as it has been intensifying in the open Pacific for a long time, drawing energy from the warm ocean and accumulating large amounts of moisture,” said Xiangbo Feng, a tropical cyclone research scientist at Imperial College London.
“When it makes landfall or approaches coastal regions, the damage could be catastrophic. A small change in Bavi’s trajectory could have a significant influence,” Mr Feng added.
Published – July 9, 2026 11:45 am IST