Typhoon Saudel caused widespread travel disruptions and severe weather impacts after making two landfalls in eastern China on Thursday and Friday, with the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian expected to experience the heaviest rainfall.
The storm initially struck the coastal area of Yuhuan in Taizhou, Zhejiang, at around 8 a.m. local time on Friday, bringing wind speeds up to 126 km/h near its center. After briefly moving out to sea, Saudel made a second landfall near Wenzhou at approximately 9:10 a.m. The National Meteorological Centre maintained a red typhoon warning—the highest level in China’s alert system—as the typhoon moved inland.
The storm’s arrival led to the suspension of numerous transport services. Ningbo Lishe International Airport halted flight operations from 11:30 p.m. Thursday until 11 a.m. Friday, resulting in the cancellation of 16 inbound and 28 outbound flights. In Wenzhou, a city noted for its private-sector enterprises, 197 flights were grounded on Friday. The Shanghai Passenger Ferry Company announced the suspension of ferry routes starting at 9 a.m. Friday, with the exception of the Changxing-Hengsha river crossing. Major carriers, including Air China and China Southern Airlines, have offered full refunds or free rebookings for affected passengers traveling through Shanghai and other impacted hubs since Thursday.
Authorities have advised residents in Zhejiang and Fujian, which are forecast to receive localized extreme downpours, to prepare for potential flash floods and landslides. Education officials in Hangzhou, Zhejiang’s capital, directed schools and tutoring centers to cancel classes and outdoor activities, while the city’s famed West Lake tourist site was temporarily closed. In Xiamen, Fujian’s coastal city popular with tourists, all ferry services were suspended.
Saudel is the third typhoon this year to hit Zhejiang Province, matching the record for the number of landfalls in a single year set in 2004. It is also the seventh typhoon to strike mainland China in 2026 amid an active storm season attributed to a developing El Niño event, which is causing unusual warming of surface waters in the tropical Pacific.
The typhoon comes on the heels of Typhoon Nara, which made its third landfall in Wuchuan, Guangdong, on Wednesday. Before that, Nara stalled over the Beibu Gulf, causing heavy rains across Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Guangxi remains heavily affected, with flooding reported to have displaced 54,000 residents and impacted more than 61,000 people since August 23. The city of Chongzuo, known for its scenic karst formations and waterfalls, was particularly hard hit, experiencing submerged homes, power outages, and disrupted communication networks.
Local authorities have been conducting cleanup and recovery operations in Guangxi, including mud and debris removal, disinfection efforts, infrastructure repairs, and safety risk mitigation to restore normal conditions as quickly as possible.
In an unusual step, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing issued a weather alert on Thursday night, urging American citizens to avoid storm-affected coastal areas and to monitor local updates closely.
As Saudel progresses inland, strong winds and heavy rainfall are expected to continue until Monday, affecting not only Zhejiang and Fujian but also Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Authorities remain vigilant in their response to the evolving situation.