Typhoon Saudel made a rare third landfall in China on Thursday, striking the coast of Fujian province after an unusual journey in which the storm weakened following two earlier landfalls before regenerating over warm waters. Saudel, the 18th typhoon of the year, made landfall along the coast of Zhangpu County in Zhangzhou, Fujian, at around 6.30 am, packing maximum sustained winds of 23 metres per second near its centre, according to the provincial meteorological observatory.
More than 83,000 people had been evacuated in Fujian by 7 am as heavy rain battered parts of the province. Authorities suspended work, businesses and classes in parts of Zhangzhou, while schools were also closed in Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Ningde. Eight sections of major roads were closed, 657 transport services suspended, work stopped at 152 construction sites and more than 150 major tourist attractions shut across Fujian as authorities stepped up precautions.
Rare storm lifecycle
Saudel had earlier made two landfalls in Zhejiang province on August 28 — first at Kanmen subdistrict in Yuhuan at around 8.05 am and then in Wenzhou's Longwan district at around 9.10 am. Meteorologists said its subsequent evolution was particularly unusual. After moving inland, Saudel weakened and was downgraded to a tropical depression. However, its remnant low-pressure circulation did not completely dissipate.
As the system moved over the South China Sea, sea-surface temperatures exceeding 28 degrees Celsius, abundant monsoonal moisture and interaction with a nearby tropical disturbance allowed it to reorganise. Saudel strengthened back into a tropical storm on September 1 and retained its original name and number before turning towards the mainland again. The sequence — landfall, weakening, regeneration over the sea and another landfall — is considered an uncommon lifecycle for a tropical cyclone. Meteorologists have linked the storm's longevity to favourable oceanic and atmospheric conditions, including warm sea-surface temperatures that provided the energy needed for regeneration.
Heavy rain warning
Saudel weakened again after making its third landfall, but authorities warned that its circulation would continue to produce intense rainfall.
Heavy to torrential rain was forecast across most of Fujian, eastern and northern Guangdong, southern Jiangxi, southern Hunan and much of Taiwan through Friday afternoon. Some areas of Fujian and Guangdong could receive rainfall of up to 300 mm.
China's National Meteorological Center issued a blue typhoon alert and forecast that Saudel would move westward at around 15 to 20 kmph while gradually weakening.
The storm has arrived during an unusually active typhoon season. Twenty-four typhoons had formed over the northwestern Pacific and South China Sea by September 1, about 10 more than the historical average for the period, while seven had already made landfall in China.
Meteorological authorities expect another two to three typhoons to make landfall or significantly affect China during September and have warned of continued risks from flash floods, landslides, urban waterlogging, strong winds and storm surges.