More than 260,000 people evacuated in China as Typhoon Baavi batters northeastern China

A powerful typhoon has caused severe flooding in northeastern China. More than 260,000 people have been evacuated from Liaoning province to safer places due to the strongest storm to hit mainland China this year.

Chinese authorities said heavy to very heavy rains are likely to continue until Tuesday. The typhoon is bringing a large amount of moisture north from the southern tropics, raising the risk of continuous heavy rains in large areas of northern China.

A video of a lighthouse being swept away by floodwaters in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, has gone viral on social media. The video shows the lighthouse ripping through high-voltage power lines and sliding down a main road under a bridge.

Schools and training institutions in several northeastern cities, including Shenyang and Jilin, have been temporarily closed due to the worsening situation. At the same time, public transport and other transportation services have also been severely disrupted.

According to meteorologists, this typhoon, which is about the size of France, formed in the Pacific Ocean 13 days ago. Even after hitting eastern China last Saturday night, its structure is still largely intact. Because of this, it has become the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in the Asia-Pacific region this year.

Chinese meteorologists say that because the warm part of the typhoon's center is unusually intact, it has been able to retain a lot of moisture as it moves north. Although it has now become a tropical storm, it is moving slowly. As a result, the large amount of accumulated water vapor may fall in the form of rain, which could cause more severe flooding in various regions of northern China.

Local administrations have urged residents not to go out unnecessarily and to follow government disaster-related instructions.

Source: Reuters