appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Xinlu Liang

Southern and eastern China are bracing for another round of severe weather after twin typhoons and widespread flooding this month.
China’s top flood control and drought relief body held an emergency inter-agency meeting on Wednesday to coordinate disaster prevention ahead of the expected 12th named storm of the season.
Meanwhile, rainfall remains widespread and intense nationwide, including regions still recovering from recent storms. Rivers and lakes are still swollen in some areas and the soil fully saturated – sharply increasing the risk of flash floods, mountain torrents and landslides.
Against this backdrop, the arrival of a new typhoon posed a “complex and severe” challenge, officials warned.
The China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources and other key departments took part in Wednesday’s meeting.


According to the National Meteorological Centre (NMC), up to three typhoons are likely to form in the northwestern Pacific and South China Sea over the next 10 days.
One of these is a tropical depression east of the Philippines that is expected to intensify and affect southern Chinese regions. The storm is expected to track west-northwest at up to 30km/h (about 19mph) into the northeastern South China Sea by early Saturday.
It could move closer to Hong Kong over the weekend, city forecasters warned on Thursday. If it reaches typhoon strength, the storm will be named Noul, a North Korean name meaning “glowing red sky”.
The Hong Kong Observatory said the storm was expected to make landfall in southern Guangdong province early on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds near the centre of about 120 km/h.
Forecasters in mainland China also expect the storm to make landfall overnight on Saturday along the south and southeastern coast, anywhere from Zhuhai in Guangdong to Zhangpu in Fujian province.
If it does intensify, Noul would be the third typhoon to strike China in just over three weeks, after Maysak and Bavi in early July.
Authorities in Guangdong and neighbouring Guangxi province have been told to prepare for the “most unfavourable scenario” of a direct landfall.


Officials have been directed to sharpen early warnings, enforce “call-and-response” alerts, and evacuate high-risk areas.
The NMC order also calls for routine inspections of critical infrastructure – such as highways, railways, utilities and underground spaces – and for rescue teams and emergency supplies to be put on standby.
The Ministry of Water Resources warned that over the next 10 days, significant rainfall was expected in parts of the Pearl River, Yangtze River and Songhua River basins – regions already battered by previous storms – and that some small and medium-sized rivers might breach warning levels.
It emphasised six priority areas for preparedness, including increased monitoring and forecasting, river-basin flood regulation, reservoir safety, levee patrols and comprehensive flood prevention.


As preparations are stepped up, the shadow of Typhoon Bavi – which struck eastern Zhejiang province on July 11 – looms large.
Packing 144 km/h winds at its centre and spanning roughly 1,000km (620 miles), the storm made double landfalls in Zhejiang and forced the evacuation of nearly 2 million people, including 1.7 million in Zhejiang, 100,000 in Fujian and 34,000 in Shanghai.
No direct fatalities were reported, but the damage was extensive.
Days earlier, Typhoon Maysak triggered devastating floods in Guangxi, leaving close to 40 people dead. Villagers lost their homes, livestock drowned, vehicles were submerged and prized jasmine crops were entirely washed away.


What the China-Nepal floods teach us about crisis communication

Nepal flood survivor says rescue efforts must continue

China influencer exposed over fake US$150,000 flood gift; Red Cross finds only 15-cent offers

No pit stops: Chinese coal mine makes big upgrade with autonomous electric trucks

Accidents, extreme weather and disasters in China

China braces for up to 3 typhoons in devastating wake of Bavi and Maysak

Drills on evacuating an underground facility are carried out during a typhoon survival training session in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, earlier this month. Photo: Reuters 

Rescuers in China race to reach residents trapped by landslide that has killed 8 people

In a social media video grab, landslide debris is seen from the street after buildings collapsed in Chongqing on Friday. Photo: Social media via Reuters

A social media video taken in Chongqing shows people running away from a cloud of dust rising as buildings collapse due to a landslide. Photo: social media via Reuters

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a landslide along the Wujiang River in Pengshui Miao and Tujia autonomous county, Chongqing, on July 17. Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters

Local officials said they witnessed rockfalls before the landslide. Photo: Xinhua

An aerial drone photo taken on July 17 shows rescuers working at the site of a rainfall-induced landslide along a section of the Wujiang River in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality. Photo: Xinhua

China warns of more extreme weather as Bavi leaves trail of rain, flooding

Typhoon Bavi has brought heavy rain and floods to Meihekou in the northeastern province of Jilin. Photo: 163.com

Typhoon Bavi loses eye but system expands to 1,263 times the size of Hong Kong

The eye of Typhoon Bavi, which disappeared on Thursday night, as its overall cloud area expanded to around 1.4 million sq km. Photo: Reuters

Boats take shelter at a port in Xiamen, southeast China as Typhoon Bavi approaches. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

Politics

Latest possible storm is brewing east of the South China Sea and poses ‘complex and severe’ challenge, officials say


Latest possible storm is brewing east of the South China Sea and poses ‘complex and severe’ challenge, officials say.


China braces for up to 3 typhoons in devastating wake of Bavi and Maysak

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Latest possible storm is brewing east of the South China Sea and poses ‘complex and severe’ challenge, officials say

Latest possible storm is brewing east of the South China Sea and poses ‘complex and severe’ challenge, officials say