The China Meteorological Administration on Sunday identified Super Typhoon Yagi as the strongest autumn typhoon to make landfall in China since 1949.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of this year, maintained Super Typhoon status for 64 hours, causing significant damage across many areas of China over the past few days, said the administration.
Experts explained that a rare combination of factors intensified Yagi’s unprecedented strength, including active monsoons in the South China Sea, the strong moisture injected from tropical cyclones, and favorable atmospheric conditions.
Though Yagi has weakened, its residual circulation may still trigger heavy rain in parts of Guangxi and Yunnan, the National Meteorological Center warned, highlighting the potential risks of flooding, landslides and urban waterlogging.
Yagi, which was downgraded on Sunday to a tropical depression, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan and later Guangdong provinces.
Responding to its waning impact, local authorities said all tourism, cultural and sporting venues in Sanya, a tourist city in Hainan, have reopened.
(With input from Xinhua. Cover: Strong winds toppled a bus stop after Yagi hit Haikou, the capital city of southern China’s Hainan Province, September 7, 2024. /CFP)