Although Typhoon Ba Vi is moving slowly and weakening in a colder sea area, the storm still poses a major risk because it carries huge amounts of moisture in rainy bands with an area almost equal to France.
According to the latest storm news from the National Meteorological Center of China, Typhoon Ba Vi has maximum sustained winds of 144 km/h, equivalent to a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson storm wind scale, and is about 200km southeast of Wenling, Zhejiang province, China.
Typhoon Bawei is forecast to make landfall in Wenzhou, home to about 10 million people, on the morning of July 11. Chinese state media reported that more than 1.7 million people have been evacuated across Zhejiang province, including Wenzhou city, and more than 100,000 people in Fujian province.
Extreme weather has devastated southern and central China this week, with previous storms killing at least 39 people and dozens of rivers overflowing, and 1 reservoir breaching.
Streets in northern Taiwan (China) are mostly deserted, where most businesses are closed for the 2nd consecutive day due to strong winds and rain. More than 14,000 people have been evacuated, hundreds of flights have been canceled and more than 170,000 households across the island have lost power due to the storm.
Typhoon Ba Vi has weakened as it moves in the Pacific Ocean, after making landfall in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier this week at super typhoon intensity. Typhoon Ba Vi's maximum sustained wind speed has decreased to 137 km/h, with gusts of about 173 km/h on July 11, according to the Taiwan (China) Meteorological Administration (CWA).
CWA warns of "extremely heavy rain" across northern Taiwan (China) and "dangerous waves" up to 10m high along the coast as Typhoon Ba Vi passes through the north of the island.
On July 10, Typhoon Ba Vi was forecast to be the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan (China) in more than 30 years, but the radius of strong winds of the typhoon has narrowed to 350km, according to forecast by forecaster Jason Cheng of CWA.
In the Philippines, the death toll from landslides and other incidents caused by heavy rain due to Typhoon Ba Vi has increased to 18 people, mostly on the southern island of Mindanao. Nearly 11,000 people across the Philippines have been evacuated and dozens of ports are still closed, with 313 ships and boats sheltering.
More than 18,000 households and facilities across Okinawa, Japan lost power when the storm hit remote islands in southwestern Japan, of which the Miyako area was the most severely affected. Japanese airlines have canceled dozens of flights, affecting more than 26,000 passengers.
The oceans on Earth have experienced the hottest June in history and may set new records in the coming months, according to the European Union's Copernicus Maritime Services Agency. Warmer ocean temperatures help tropical storms strengthen and accumulate more moisture, which can cause heavy rain. In addition, there is also the impact of the return of El Nino this year.
