China Cancels Flights, Closes Tourist Areas Ahead of Typhoon Bavi

China is bracing for Typhoon Bavi, leading to widespread cancellations of flights, suspensions of rail services, and closures of tourist attractions along its eastern coast. Authorities have issued a yellow alert as the storm is predicted to make landfall Saturday night, likely between the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.

In Zhoushan, an island city in Zhejiang, at least 14 inbound and outbound flights were canceled on Friday. Similarly, Wenzhou reported the cancellation of 17 arrivals. Major airlines, including Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, and Hainan Airlines, have activated special channels for passengers affected by the weather, offering penalty-free changes or refunds for routes impacted by the typhoon.

Numerous railway lines along the coast have suspended operations for the weekend. Logistics companies like YTO Express, ZTO Express, and Yunda have warned of potential delays in pickup, transit, and delivery services due to the adverse weather conditions. In Fujian province, several coastal parks, resorts, and mountainous areas were preemptively closed on Friday, with refunds offered to visitors. Some universities have also ordered the suspension of field trips and volunteer activities.

Provincial authorities and the capital, Fuzhou, have been inspecting reservoirs and conducting water discharges to increase capacity ahead of the expected heavy rainfall. This comes after recent intense rains caused a reservoir breach in the southern region of Guangxi, attributed to Typhoon Maysak. The China Meteorological Center maintained the yellow alert for Bavi, which weakened slightly overnight but still carried maximum sustained winds of 45 meters per second near its center early Friday.

Before reaching China, Bavi is expected to pass near northeastern Taiwan, where authorities have already closed schools and offices in the northern half of the island and suspended flights due to forecasts of torrential rain. The official forecast indicates the typhoon will move northwest and make landfall Saturday night between Fuqing in Fujian and Wenling in Zhejiang, categorized as a strong typhoon or typhoon before weakening inland. Zhejiang and Fujian could experience rainfall accumulations of 500 to 600 millimeters over the next three days. Bavi's arrival follows a tumultuous week for China, marked by Typhoon Maysak's associated floods in Guangxi that killed at least 39 people, a landslide in Gansu province resulting in 21 deaths, and storms and tornadoes in Hubei province.