Typhoon Danas threatens China with flash floods after killing two people in Taiwan
The storm, which brought record winds and torrential rains to Taiwan, is expected to make landfall near the port city of Taizhou in Zhejiang province on Tuesday morning, Chinese officials said.
Winds at the storm's centre were recorded at around 80kmph (50mph) as it churned northwest across the South China Sea.
Local maritime authorities have cancelled more than 100 passenger voyages and suspended operations at coastal construction sites as a precaution.
Danas is forecast to bring between 100mm and 250mm of rainfall across a 650km stretch from Fuzhou in Fujian province to Hangzhou in Zhejiang, triggering flash flood warnings.
After sweeping through Zhejiang, the storm is expected to continue inland into Jiangxi province, a mountainous region that has seen deadly landslides and flood disasters in previous storm events.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said the storm battered southern parts of the island on Sunday and Monday with gusts reaching up to 220kmph, bringing down over 650 electric poles and uprooting hundreds of trees.
Emergency responders said one person was killed after a tree crushed a vehicle in Tainan, while another died after being struck by debris. More than 600 people were treated for injuries, according to local media.
Footage shared on Taiwanese television showed submerged roads, collapsed rooftops, and emergency workers rescuing people stranded in floodwaters in Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Several schools and offices across southern Taiwan remained shut on Monday due to widespread power outages and transport disruption.
In mainland China, provincial authorities have begun deploying emergency teams and readying evacuation centres across vulnerable areas in anticipation of Danas's arrival. Jiangxi's rolling hills and river basins make it particularly susceptible to landslides and flash floods following heavy rain.
Danas is the second major storm system to affect China in less than three weeks. In late June, tropical cyclone Wutip brought similar rainfall to parts of Guangdong and Hainan, leading to severe flooding and crop losses.
Scientists have warned that extreme weather events like Danas are becoming more intense and frequent as the climate warms.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Tropical storm Wipha threatens southern China after battering Taiwan and the Philippines
A tropical storm that prompted flight and ferry cancellations in Taiwan is forecast to reach typhoon strength before hitting the southern China coast on Sunday. The storm earlier crossed the Philippines, where a parked truck was crushed by a billboard-like structure that was toppled by high winds in Quezon City, north of Manila. Wipha had maximum sustained winds of 101 kph (63 mph) and gusts up to 126 kph (78 mph) as it passed south of Taiwan on Saturday, the island's Central News Agency said. More than 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain was recorded in Hualien and Taitung counties on Taiwan's east coast, the news agency said. Several domestic flights were canceled and service on 14 ferry routes was suspended because of rough seas and strong winds. On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, many ferries suspended service in Fujian province on China's east coast. The storm, the sixth of the season in the western Pacific, is forecast to reach typhoon strength before passing near Hong Kong overnight. It is expected to bring heavy rain along China's southern coast and then weaken as it heads west to Vietnam and Laos. In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific said that all flights arriving or departing between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday would be canceled or delayed. The airline is waiving ticket change fees, it said. The Hong Kong Observatory warned of gale-force or higher winds and possible flooding in low-lying coastal areas because of storm surges. A 30-kilometer (18-mile) bridge that crosses the water between Hong Kong and Macao will be closed overnight, Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK reported. Authorities in Hainan province, a Chinese island that is a popular beach resort, said that three ports would suspend operations starting Saturday night in Haikou, the provincial capital.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Here's why record-high flash flood warnings were issued in U.S. this year
There has been a record-high number of flash flood warnings issued in the U.S. this year, which can be linked to climate change and improved weather systems. The catastrophic and deadly flash flooding in central Texas earlier this month has brought attention to the increasing intensity of these weather events and how Americans can prepare for them. More than 130 people, including dozens of children, died after the Guadalupe River burst its banks on July 4, and many more are still missing. Following the disaster, questions have been raised about whether officials could have done more to protect Texans, including installing flood warning sirens in the area. But floods are not unique to Texas. NBC News reported, citing data from Iowa State University, there was a record number of more than 3,000 flash flood warnings issued in the U.S. from January 1 to July 15. A flash flood warning is issued by the National Weather Service when a sudden violent flood is imminent or occurring. The outlet previously reported there were at least four one-in-1,000-year rainfall events from July 4 to 8, flooding parts of Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico and Chicago. Climate change can make river floods larger or more frequent in some places, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 'As warmer temperatures cause more water to evaporate from the land and oceans, changes in the size and frequency of heavy precipitation events may in turn affect the size and frequency of river flooding,' the EPA wrote on its website. But one expert explained another reason why there are more flash flood alerts than ever before. Amir AghaKouchak, director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing at the University of California, Irvine, told NBC News radar systems and weather models have significantly improved over the last 40 years. 'The system that was implemented back in the '80s is not the same as the system that we have now,' he said. 'We have many, many more radars, and we have many different sources of data.' 'So naturally you expect more warnings just because our systems are getting better and better,' the expert added.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Severe weather in tropical storm's wake triggers North Carolina state of emergency
North Carolina can seek federal funding to help its overloaded response efforts to Tropical Storm Chantal, which killed at least six people and left damage from flooding in its wake, as Gov. Josh Stein announced a state of emergency Thursday. A one-two punch from Chantal followed by severe weather in the state's center has 'overwhelmed the response and recovery efforts of local governments,' according to Stein's executive order. Some rivers reached record-breaking levels from the storm, including the Eno River in Durham, one of several cities where some residents lost access to safe drinking water because of damage to the water system. In some places, the storm dumped as much as 9 to 12 inches of rain, according to the governor's office. Chantal hit at the end of the July Fourth weekend, and several days of severe weather plowed through as people were still picking up the pieces from damage caused by the tropical storm's remnants. The emergency declaration, which took effect Wednesday, jumpstarts the process for North Carolina to seek federal recovery assistance if needed. It covers 13 counties in the state's center, some of which are home to populous cities like Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Local law enforcement agencies have confirmed at least six deaths from the storm. Businesses were wrecked and many residents were displaced from their homes after emergency responders rescued them from flooding. A 58-year-old woman called 911 on her way to work after her SUV got caught in floodwaters, but the call disconnected and she was later found dead a little ways from her unoccupied vehicle, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Rescuers searched for days in Chatham County only to find two missing canoers had died, the county sheriff's office said, while another woman died when floodwaters swept her vehicle off the road, the State Highway Patrol said. Two people died in Alamance County, including a missing 71-year-old man found dead inside his vehicle covered in flowing water, the sheriff's office said. The Graham County Police Department said a missing 23-year-old woman was found dead inside a submerged vehicle. Many people were also rescued during the storm. In one neighborhood north of Durham, the city's fire department said it did more than 80 water rescues amid the flooding. The fire department in Chapel Hill rescued more than 50 people while teaming up with neighboring agencies, mostly near apartments, officials said.
