Typhoon Saudel Brings Torrential Rain to China, Sweeping Away a Three-Story House

Floodwaters unleashed by Typhoon Saudel swept away a three-story house in China as the storm made its third landfall on the coast of Fujian. The typhoon strengthened again over the South China Sea before reaching land on the morning of Sept. 3, bringing heavy rain and flooding to coastal provinces.

Fujian and Guangdong remained on alert on Sept. 4. Local authorities closed schools, suspended public transport and introduced flood-control measures. Hundreds of thousands of people in Zhejiang and neighboring provinces were evacuated, including 83,000 in Fujian.

In Fuding, Fujian, rescuers waded through waist-deep water to move elderly residents to safety. Video showed floodwaters surging through residential areas in Jinxi village and knocking down the three-story house. Flooding also covered major highways in Putian, damaged a bridge and inundated residential areas. Rescue teams were working to evacuate people trapped by the water, while China Central Television reported that some people remained missing.

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These are extremely rare developments

China’s Ministry of Natural Resources warned that prolonged heavy rain was increasing the risk of landslides. Water levels in several rivers had passed warning thresholds, flooding low-lying areas.

Saudel is the seventh typhoon to make landfall in China this year. It is also the third storm to affect Yuhuan in Zhejiang province in less than two months, a pattern China’s meteorological authorities described as extremely rare. The article links the recent disasters to El Niño, saying an unusually strong and northward-shifting western Pacific subtropical high can steer storms toward China’s eastern coast. The United Nations warned on Sept. 3 that El Niño could continue strengthening through 2027 and might become the strongest recorded, increasing the risk of prolonged extreme weather.

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Under super El Niño conditions, storms form farther east