Catastrophic storms to test China's resilience in 2026, scientists warn

China is bracing for further extreme weather as Super Typhoon Bavi is set to make landfall, following devastating floods that have already ravaged southern provinces this week. Scientists warn that the frequency and intensity of such destructive events are growing, posing a significant challenge to the nation's resilience.

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The problem with these events is that they're just increasing.

Scientists attribute the escalating threat to climate change, exacerbated this year by the anticipated emergence of the El Nino weather pattern. This phenomenon is expected to drive up temperatures and fuel more powerful typhoons. China's National Climate Center forecasts an above-average number of typhoons in the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea this July, with a higher likelihood of them making landfall and exhibiting greater intensity.

Last week, Typhoon Maysak caused significant damage in southern China's Hainan province and the Guangxi region, where it spawned at least two inland tornadoes. The current situation in Hengzhou, the epicenter of the Guangxi floods, highlights the severity of the crisis. Heavy rainfall caused reservoir dams to fail, inundating villages and farmland. Officials report at least six deaths and 375,000 people affected, with the toll expected to rise.

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The magnitude of the events is increasing and there is no time to recover and become resilient.

"The problem with these events is that they're just increasing," said Benjamin Horton, dean of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong. "The magnitude of the events is increasing and there is no time to recover and become resilient." Horton predicts more frequent and intense cyclones later this year, leading to unprecedented rainfall, floods, landslides, crop damage, and loss of life. "This is just going to repeat and repeat and repeat," he warned.

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This is just going to repeat and repeat and repeat.