Two tropical storms are developing across the western Pacific, with forecasts indicating stronger winds and broader impacts over the coming days.
Typhoon Bavi, also called Typhoon No. 9, was identified near the Marshall Islands on 2 July. Forecasts indicate that the system is moving towards the East China Sea and could become a Category 5 super typhoon on 5 July.
The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said that wind speeds could exceed 260 km/h during the five-day outlook period as the storm moves across the Mariana Islands.
According to Chinese media Xinhua, authorities have already launched a Level-IV flood control and typhoon prevention response in Hainan, Guangxi and Guangdong.
The tropical depression over the South China Sea is forecast to make landfall along the coast between Guangxi and northern Vietnam on 4 July. Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected in parts of the affected areas through 5 July.
Ports in the region, including the ports of Ningbo and Shanghai, could face interrupted operations as a result.
A separate system, TEN-26, remains under observation between China and Vietnam. The storm is expected to strengthen between 2 and 4 July, with peak impacts forecast on 4 July.
Maximum wind speeds are projected to reach 74 km/h, while Vietnam is assessed as having high vulnerability.
