China is no stranger to ferocious typhoons — but recently, Typhoon Yagi broke records as the strongest storm to hit the country in a decade, according to The Washington Post.
What's happening?
Yagi first made landfall in Hainan, a southern island province, after undergoing what Pearl Harbor's Joint Typhoon Warning Center labeled "an impressive period of extreme rapid intensification." During this period, its sustained wind speeds rose by 70 miles per hour in a span of 24 hours.
With it also came what the Post described as "blinding sheets of rain and ferocious winds that flipped a van, shattered windows, toppled trees and even blew down a motorcyclist." With peak wind speeds of 160 miles per hour, placing it in the range of a Category 5 hurricane, Yagi is estimated to be the strongest typhoon to hit the province in a decade.
The storm had already passed through the Philippines before it made its way to China. Afterward, it barreled on toward Vietnam and Myanmar. Across its path, the total death count has climbed into the hundreds, with over 230 casualties in Vietnam alone and bodies still being discovered, per the Associated Press.
Why is this concerning?
Other than the destruction from heavy winds, storms like Yagi always pose a risk of storm surge. When this happens, heavy rains can trigger coastal flooding, with walls of water rushing to many feet above sea level.
But aside from the immediate concerns for safety, scientists and officials are most worried about the patterns forming with storms like Typhoon Yagi.
While Yagi was the most intense storm in the South China Sea in 55 years, according to the Post, it was only the second strongest storm of 2024 globally — Hurricane Beryl holds the record.
This is troubling when considering the relationship between soaring atmospheric temperatures and increasingly extreme weather events. The planet's overheating is like an amplifier for hurricanes and tropical storms. Their winds and precipitation are bolstered by hot, humid air. And if it doesn't reverse directions, communities around the world will enter unforeseen territory when it comes to facing down intense storms.
What can be done?
Prior to Yagi touching down in Hainan, authorities evacuated nearly half a million residents who lived in particularly exposed and high-risk areas. They issued major alerts, urging fishermen to return to ports and for residents to stay inside. They also closed three major airports and suspended activity on several railways, the Post reported.
"Emergency shelters shall be open. Residents shall stay in safe places for temporary shelter," officials advised.
But beyond dealing with immediate preparation and aftermath, working to scale back planet-warming pollution will be critical to halting these dangerous weather patterns in their tracks.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
