Dual Typhoons Bary and Haishen Batter Eastern China

Eastern China is reeling from a historic weather event as Typhoon Bary — the strongest July typhoon to hit Zhejiang province since 1949 — plows through the region, while a second storm, Typhoon Haishen, has formed in the Pacific, raising concerns of back-to-back disaster. Authorities evacuated over 2.68 million people in Zhejiang alone before Bary made landfall, in what officials are calling one of the largest peacetime mobilizations in the province’s history.

Historic Landfall and Destructive Power

Typhoon Bary made its first landfall at 23:20 on July 11 in Yuhuan Kanmen, Taizhou, with maximum winds of 40 m/s (13级), followed by a second landfall just 40 minutes later in Qingjiang Town, Yueqing, Wenzhou, according to Xinhua News. The storm’s circulation diameter exceeded 1,500 km, and it maintained super typhoon intensity for an extraordinary 138 consecutive hours from July 4 to July 9.

A wind gust of 54.1 m/s (16级) was recorded in Jiaojiang — the second-highest July wind speed ever recorded in Zhejiang, the China News Service reported. The storm stalled over Zhejiang for more than 11 hours, traversing Taizhou, Wenzhou, Lishui, Jinhua, and Hangzhou before exiting into Anhui Province at 10:40 on July 12.

Hu Yaowen, Chief Engineer of the Zhejiang Emergency Management Department, told Xinhua: “Bary made two landfalls in Zhejiang within 40 minutes. Due to its massive size and immense energy, it not only stirred up huge waves along the coast but also penetrated deep inland, creating severe wind and rain, with high risks of mountain floods, geological disasters, and urban waterlogging.”

Massive Evacuation and Emergency Response

In a testament to China’s evolving disaster preparedness, Zhejiang province evacuated over 2.68 million people before Bary’s arrival, opening more than 19,000 shelters. More than 12,000 schools and kindergartens were closed, 830 construction sites were shut down, and 444 A-level scenic spots were suspended, Xinhua reported.

The central government mobilized rapidly. The National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan for emergency recovery, while the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration dispatched relief supplies including folding beds, towels, summer quilts, and family emergency kits. The National Disaster Prevention and Relief Committee activated a Level IV national disaster relief emergency response for Zhejiang, and the National Flood Control Headquarters activated Level IV responses for Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Sichuan.

At the Wangjiangmen flood control point in Linhai, 26,000 sandbags were deployed to build 3-meter-high protective walls around the historic Taizhou Prefectural City Wall, a national heritage site. “This section of the city wall is the most vulnerable. In previous years, river water surged in and caused partial collapse,” Wu Xiude, Fire Management Section Chief of the Linhai Housing and Construction Bureau, told Xinhua. “It is the key control area for this typhoon defense.”

Taiwan Impact

Typhoon Bary also caused significant disruption in Taiwan, where 36 injuries were reported — mostly from people falling while riding scooters or bicycles, or during typhoon preparation activities, according to Lianhe Zaobao. Taiwan evacuated 14,210 people, with Hualien County accounting for 5,167 evacuees and Taichung City 2,060. Approximately 27,000 households lost power, and 184 mudslide warning streams were placed under yellow alert. Classes and work were suspended in Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan, and the stock market was closed.

A Second Storm Emerges

As China grapples with Bary’s aftermath, a new threat has emerged. Typhoon Haishen — the 11th typhoon of the 2026 season — formed on the morning of July 13 in the northwest Pacific Ocean, CCTV News reported. Named by China after the “god of the sea” in Chinese mythology, Haishen was at tropical storm level with maximum winds of 18 m/s (8级) and was located approximately 930 km southwest of Guam.

Currently, Haishen is expected to move northwest then north at 5-10 km/h and is not expected to affect Chinese waters. However, its formation so soon after Bary’s landfall has drawn attention to the unusual frequency and intensity of typhoon activity in mid-July.

From Resistance to Prevention: A Modern Emergency System

Zhejiang’s response to Bary reflects a fundamental shift in China’s approach to disaster management — from reactive “resistance” (抗) to proactive “prevention” (防). The province has developed a comprehensive modern emergency management system built on 126,000 risk data points, a risk warning “five-color map,” and “eight risk checklists” covering personnel evacuation, mountain floods, and geological disasters.

A Zhejiang Emergency Management Department spokesperson told Xinhua: “To enhance grassroots flood and typhoon prevention capabilities, we must insist on moving forces forward and supplies downward, so that every末端 node has the confidence to respond.” The province has established 15,000 basic flood control units with full-coverage drills and trained 13,000 new village party secretaries.

What to Watch For

As Typhoon Bary continues its path northeast through Anhui and toward the Yellow Sea, expected to transition into an extratropical cyclone by July 14, authorities are watching for extreme rainfall in Liaoning and Jilin provinces, where precipitation could exceed 200 mm and locally reach 400 mm. The already-saturated soil from weeks of extreme weather across southern China raises the risk of severe flooding.

Meanwhile, the trajectory of Typhoon Haishen remains uncertain. While current forecasts suggest it will not affect China, the back-to-back formation of two typhoons in mid-July is unusual and underscores growing concerns about climate variability and its impact on extreme weather events in the region.