Typhoon Sadel Makes Second Landfall in Zhejiang, Bringing Heavy Rain to Nine Provinces

Typhoon Sadel, the 18th named storm of the 2026 Pacific typhoon season, made its second landfall in Longwan District, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province on the morning of August 28, according to Xinhua News. The storm struck with maximum sustained winds of 33 meters per second (force 12) and a minimum central pressure of 978 hPa, just over an hour after its first landfall in Yuhuan City.

The typhoon first made landfall in Kanmen Subdistrict, Yuhuan City, Taizhou, Zhejiang, with winds of 35 meters per second and a minimum pressure of 975 hPa. CCTV News reported that the Central Meteorological Observatory continued to issue a red typhoon warning, the highest alert level, as the storm moved west-southwest at approximately 20 kilometers per hour.

A Record-Breaking Typhoon Season

Sadel’s landfall marks the third typhoon to strike Zhejiang this year, following Typhoon Bavi in July and Typhoon Baidolphin in August. This ties the record for the most typhoons landing in Zhejiang in a single year since 1949, as Xinhua News reported. All three storms made landfall in Yuhuan City, setting a “three typhoons in one year at the same location” record.

The storm formed on August 19 in the western North Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,160 kilometers southeast of Guam, and rapidly intensified to super typhoon status by August 23, reaching Category 5-equivalent strength with maximum winds of 52 meters per second. At its peak, Sadel’s circulation diameter exceeded 1,000 kilometers, covering over 400,000 square kilometers—roughly four times the area of Zhejiang Province, according to Xinhua’s analysis.

Widespread Impact Across Nine Provinces

The typhoon’s heavy rainfall is expected to affect nine provinces—Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan—from August 28 through 31. Zhejiang and Fujian are expected to receive the heaviest rainfall, with localized extreme rainstorms possible. The Central Meteorological Observatory warned of a “three-hit” scenario of wind, rain, and storm surge at and north of the landfall point, with astronomical tides combining with storm surge to create dangerous coastal conditions.

Local authorities have activated extensive emergency response measures. Zhejiang Province raised its typhoon emergency response to Level I, the highest level, at 8 PM on August 27. Wenzhou city evacuated over 940,000 people, with more than 3,000 shelters opened across the city. All 146 coastal water construction projects in Zhejiang were suspended, and 527 construction vessels moved to safe shelter. All 162 passenger ferry routes in Zhejiang were suspended by 2 PM on August 26, according to the Baidu Baike typhoon entry.

Several railway lines, including the Hangzhou-Wenzhou and Hangzhou-Taizhou high-speed railways, and the Jinhua-Wenzhou, Jinhua-Taizhou, and Ningbo-Jinhua railways, implemented temporary train suspensions. The National Marine Forecasting Center issued its highest-level red wave warning.

Why Far-Ocean Typhoons Are Hitting Zhejiang

Meteorologists attribute the unusually high frequency of far-ocean typhoons striking Zhejiang to the developing El Niño phenomenon. Ma Hao, a senior engineer at the Zhejiang Provincial Climate Center, explained to Xinhua that “in El Niño development years, the Western Pacific subtropical high is exceptionally strong and positioned further north, which easily guides typhoons along a northwest path directly toward the East China coast.”

Ma also noted that several typhoons this year avoided the terrain blocking of Taiwan Island during their journey, allowing them to maintain higher intensity when making landfall in Zhejiang. The equatorial central-eastern Pacific has been abnormally warm since May 2026, with sea surface temperatures expected to peak around November-December, potentially forming the strongest El Niño event on record.

Huang Yiwu, chief forecaster at the Central Meteorological Observatory, added in the same Xinhua report that “like Bavi (typhoon level) and Baidolphin (strong typhoon level), Sadel also went through a super typhoon phase, and its landfall intensity was also a relatively strong typhoon level, bringing significant wind and rain impacts.”

Looking Ahead

As Sadel moves inland, its intensity will gradually weaken, but the threat of heavy rainfall and secondary disasters remains significant. The Hong Kong 01 reported that Guangdong Province is expected to experience intensified rainfall over the weekend, with heavy to torrential rain in northern and southern coastal areas. Meteorological authorities have warned of the elevated risk of geological disasters, flash floods, and urban waterlogging in areas already saturated by previous storms.

Residents in affected areas are advised to stay informed of the latest forecasts and warnings, avoid unnecessary travel during the storm, and remain vigilant against potential secondary hazards such as landslides and river flooding as the typhoon’s remnants continue to move inland through the coming days.