A recent report by China’s Ministry of Emergency Management reveals that natural disasters, primarily floods and extreme weather, hit China hard in the first three quarters of 2024, impacting over 84 million people and incurring an economic loss of 323.2 billion yuan.
Northern China experienced an unusual cold wave in mid-October, with 21 weather stations shattering mid-month temperature records, including Beijing’s rare drop below freezing for the seventh time on record on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
Typhoon “Pulasan” made landfall in Shanghai, China, on Thursday, September 19, 2024, bringing in over 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain in just 6 hours. Around 112 000 people were evacuated, barricades were set up, and several trains and ferry services were suspended as precautionary measures.
The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in northwestern China, saw 5 to 10 times the monthly average rainfall in August 2024, transforming the desert landscape into a beautiful lush green scenery. Similarly, satellite images of Africa’s Sahara show a visible increase in vegetation compared to 2023. The unusual rains, expected to bring 500% of typical monthly rainfall to some regions, have even filled normally dry lakes in the Sahara.
Typhoon “Bebinca” triggered over a dozen tornadoes across China’s Jiangsu and Shangdong provinces on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. Numerous tornadoes were observed in Sihong, Lanlin, Linyi, Xuzhou and other parts of both the provinces.
Typhoon “Bebinca” struck Jiangsu province in China on Monday, September 16, 2024, with gust speeds of 151 km/h (94 mph), making it the strongest typhoon to hit the province since records began.
Typhoon “Bebinca” made landfall in Shanghai (population 25 million), China at around 07:30 LT on Monday, September 16, 2024, with wind speed around the center of 151 km/h (94 mph). This is the 13th named storm of the 2024 Pacific typhoon season.
Tropical Storm “Bebinca” — the 13th named storm of the 2024 Pacific typhoon season, formed on September 13, 2024, as it passed near Guam. The system is forecast to continue moving toward Japan, cross the Ryukyu Islands today, and make landfall in the coastal area around Shanghai, China on Monday morning (LT), September 16.
Extremely dangerous Typhoon “Yagi” made landfall in Hainan, China just before 07:00 UTC on September 6, 2024, with maximum sustained winds of 234 km/h (145 mph). Yagi reached Wenchang City (population 575 000) in Hainan at 08:00 UTC and Haikou (population 3 million) by around 10:00 UTC.
Yagi intensified into a super typhoon on September 4, 2024, becoming the second-most powerful storm in 2024. The system has since weakened but it remains a very dangerous typhoon as it continues its track toward south China and Vietnam where landfall is expected on September 6 and 7, respectively.
