FUZHOU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Saudel, the 18th typhoon of 2026, made its third landfall in east China on Thursday morning, prompting tens of thousands of people to be evacuated amid warnings of strong winds and heavy downpours.
Saudel made the latest landfall in Zhangpu County under the city of Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, at around 6:30 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 23 meters per second near its center, according to the provincial meteorological observatory.
Previously, Saudel had made landfall twice along the coast of Zhejiang Province, also in east China, on Aug. 28, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people across the east of the country.
Authorities in Fujian had evacuated more than 83,000 people by 7 a.m. on Thursday as persistent heavy rain battered parts of the province.
Heavy rain prompted the suspension of work, business activities and school attendance in parts of the city of Zhangzhou. Schools were also closed in other cities in Fujian including Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Ningde, provincial authorities said.
As of 7 a.m., eight sections of major roads had been closed, 657 transport services suspended, work halted at 152 construction sites, and over 150 major tourist attractions shut across Fujian.
The province raised its flood-control emergency response on Wednesday while maintaining a response for the typhoon.
China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue alert for the typhoon on Thursday morning.
Saudel is forecast to move westward at 15 to 20 kilometers per hour and gradually weaken, the NMC said.
From Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon, heavy to torrential rain is forecast across most of Fujian, eastern and northern Guangdong Province, southern Jiangxi Province, southern Hunan Province and much of Taiwan.
Two to three more typhoons are expected to make landfall in or significantly affect China in September, mainly along the country's eastern and southern coasts, said Gao Rong, deputy director of the National Climate Center.
Gao added that there is a risk that some relatively strong typhoons could move northward and affect northern China.
Monitoring data showed that 24 typhoons had formed over the northwestern Pacific and the South China Sea as of Sept. 1 this year, 10.4 more than the historical average for the same period. Seven made landfall in China, 2.1 more than average.
Typhoon activity was particularly high from June to August this year, with prolonged and widespread strong winds and heavy rain.
The period also saw above-average rainfall across China and frequent extreme precipitation. The country was hit by 15 widespread rainstorm events, with daily rainfall at 44 national meteorological stations breaking historical records, according to the data.
Gao urged relevant regions to closely follow short-term typhoon forecasts and updated risk warnings, and guard against mountain torrents, urban waterlogging, heavy rain, strong winds and storm surges. ■
