Typhoon Bavi continued to churn across the Pacific Ocean southeast of Taiwan on Thursday, with authorities warning residents to prepare for what could become the region’s most powerful typhoon since 2024.
Although the storm’s maximum sustained winds weakened slightly overnight to just under 200kph (124mph), forecasters warned that Bavi remains an extremely dangerous system. The typhoon currently spans around 1,000 kilometres in diameter—roughly the width of France—and is expected to brush northern Taiwan before making landfall in China’s eastern Fujian province on Saturday evening.
Meteorologists said Bavi is on track to become the largest typhoon to affect Taiwan since 1987, describing storms of this size as increasingly rare in recent years. The approaching system has prompted authorities to urge residents to stock up on essential supplies, secure their homes and prepare emergency kits as a precaution.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te also called on the public to remain vigilant, encouraging households to gather necessities such as food, drinking water, torches and emergency equipment. He shared a video on social media demonstrating how to assemble a grab bag capable of sustaining a person for up to three days.
Weather experts warned that while Bavi is expected to gradually weaken from Thursday onwards, it is likely to remain destructive as it moves across Taiwan and eastern China through the weekend and into early next week.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency has also issued warnings for residents in Okinawa, urging them to prepare for violent winds, flash floods, landslides and dangerous storm surges on Friday and Saturday.
Scientists said Bavi has spent an unusually long period strengthening over the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, allowing it to draw significant energy and moisture. They cautioned that even a slight change in the storm’s projected path could dramatically increase the level of destruction in coastal communities.
The storm comes amid growing concerns over increasingly severe weather across East Asia, with scientists linking stronger and more frequent tropical cyclones to climate change and the expected development of El Niño conditions this year.
