According to the National Meteorological Center of China (NMC), in the morning bulletin on July 11, Typhoon Ba Vi strengthened again, reaching strong typhoon level from midnight. The storm's eye at that time was about 540 km from the border area between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
The storm is moving in a Northwest direction at a speed of about 35 km/h and is forecast to maintain intensity before making landfall. After entering the mainland, the storm will change direction to North-Northwest and then gradually weaken.
NMC forecasts that the storm will make landfall in the area between Taizhou city (Zhejiang province) and Fuding city (Fujian province) in the early morning of July 12, with maximum winds of about 45 m/s.
Faced with the storm's developments, China has deployed many response measures. Fire brigades, power grid repair forces and emergency response forces have been mobilized in areas expected to be affected.
The Chinese meteorological agency issued an orange-level storm warning - the second highest level in the four-level warning system, and issued an orange warning for heavy rain and a yellow warning for strong convection weather.
Although forecast to weaken after landing, Ba Vi still has the potential to cause significant damage. Aviation operations are widely disrupted as flight tracking data shows that about 56 airports may be affected in the period from July 10-13. 7.
Aviation operations were widely disrupted. All flights to and from Taizhou Luqiao Airport were canceled on July 11, while the cancellation rate at Wenzhou Longwan International Airport and Fuzhou Changle International Airport was almost 100%.
In Shanghai, Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport both reduced operating capacity. A total of 387 flights were canceled, including 300 flights at Pudong International Airport and 87 flights at Hongqiao International Airport.
Railway traffic was also affected. Zhejiang province alone has temporarily suspended 29 high-speed trains and 9 regular trains, and plans to suspend operations on some railway lines if the storm continues to strengthen.
Coastal localities also simultaneously implemented disaster prevention measures. On the afternoon of July 10, Fujian province raised the level of emergency response to storms to level 2, requesting schools and training institutions to stop all outdoor activities and temporarily suspend construction works.
On the same day, Zhejiang province also raised the response level to level 2, closed all tourist attractions in Wenzhou, temporarily suspended 38 ferry routes and suspended 48 construction projects related to waterways.
In Guangdong province, by 2 pm on July 10, 21 passenger ferry routes and 117 construction vessels had stopped operating, and 108 workers were evacuated from offshore wind power rigs.
Meanwhile, Shanghai issued a green storm warning, forecasting gusts from level 8-9, in some places up to level 11 in coastal areas and high-rise buildings in the period from July 11-13.
In addition to the direct impact of the storm, NMC also warned of heavy rain and the risk of tornadoes in some northern Chinese localities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, in the period from the morning of July 11 to the morning of July 12.
Functional agencies recommend that people and tourists traveling or planning to visit coastal provinces in eastern China, need to regularly update information about Typhoon Ba Vi. Proactively adjust travel schedules and comply with natural disaster prevention and control requirements of local authorities to ensure safety.
