China renews orange alert for Typhoon Bavi

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Friday renewed an orange alert for Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of 2026, which is expected to bring gales and heavy rain to eastern China.

At 8 am on Friday, the center of Bavi, considered a strong typhoon, was located approximately 1,020 km southeast of the boundary between Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in East China, with maximum sustained winds of 42 meters per second near its center, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement.

Bavi is forecast to move northwest at a speed of 15-20 km per hour and make landfall along the coast from Xiapu in Fujian to Wenling in Zhejiang on Saturday night, with intensity weakening after landfall.

From Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, gales are expected in waters east of Taiwan, most parts of the East China Sea and waters near Diaoyu Island, as well as along the coasts of Taiwan, Zhejiang and Fujian.

Heavy to torrential rain will hit southeastern Zhejiang, northeastern Fujian and Taiwan, with some parts of Taiwan expecting downpours of up to 250-800 mm of precipitation. The public are advised to avoid mountainous areas and river valleys prone to geological disasters.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.