Typhoon Saudel Disrupts Travel as it Makes Double Landfall in China

Typhoon Saudel swept through China's eastern Zhejiang province, causing widespread travel chaos. The storm's double landfall disrupted flights and ferry services across key urban centers, including the industrial hub of Ningbo and the economic powerhouse of Shanghai.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport halted all flight operations from late Thursday night. Although services resumed Friday morning, 16 inbound and 28 outbound flights were canceled for the day. In Wenzhou, another Zhejiang city known for its private enterprise, 197 flights were grounded on Friday alone.

Ferry routes operated by the Shanghai Passenger Ferry Company were suspended from Friday morning, with only one river crossing remaining operational. Major air carriers like Air China and China Southern Airlines responded by offering passengers free rebooking or full refunds for travel between Thursday and Saturday to and from affected hubs.

The National Meteorological Centre reported that Typhoon Saudel first made landfall in the coastal area of Yuhuan in Taizhou, Zhejiang, around 8 a.m. Friday, with sustained winds of up to 126 km/h near its center. After briefly moving back out to sea, the typhoon's center made a second landfall in Wenzhou approximately an hour later. Forecasters maintained a red typhoon warning, the highest alert in China's four-tier system, indicating the severity of the storm.