Taiwan is bracing for Typhoon Bavi, set to be the largest storm by size to hit the island since 1987, with winds approaching 200 km/h and a span of roughly 1,000 km. Taiwanese airlines canceled all Saturday departures from Taoyuan airport as the Central Weather Administration warned of destructive winds and heavy rainfall across northern and mountainous areas.
Bavi's center is expected to pass near Taiwan's northeastern coast on Saturday before making landfall at the Fujian-Zhejiang border that evening. The storm is forecast to weaken after interacting with Taiwan's terrain but will still bring dangerous conditions through the weekend.
The system strengthened from a tropical depression east of Guam on July 2 and rapidly intensified into a major typhoon. Meanwhile, 12 counties across Taiwan face extreme heat warnings ahead of the storm's arrival. The typhoon follows Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 39 people in China's Guangxi region earlier this week.