Weather tracker: Typhoon Saudel triggers mass evacuations across south-east China

Typhoon Saudel delivered several days of heavy rainfall across the south-east Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong last week. The city of Putian, located in Fujian province, measured 416.5mm of rain within a 24-hour period from Thursday to Friday, while surrounding villages reported totals exceeding 500mm during the same timeframe. In Fujian, officials estimate that nearly 600,000 residents were relocated from flood-prone and high-risk zones. An additional 128,000 people across 53 counties in Jiangxi were impacted, with emergency relocations affecting 9,000 individuals.

Widespread flooding, landslips and infrastructure damage were documented throughout the region. On Wednesday, more than 2,500 teachers and students became stranded in a school compound in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, following flash floods triggered by extreme rainfall in low-lying areas. Reports indicate that at least 1,260 people required rescue in Putian after a river embankment gave way on Thursday, destroying 100 homes. A landslip in Suichuan county, Jiangxi province, on Saturday resulted in three fatalities, with nine others reported missing.

Saudel marks the seventh typhoon to hit China this year, arriving shortly after Typhoon Narra brought heavy rainfall to Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi late last month.

Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service issued multiple thunderstorm warnings late last week, spanning a broad area across the northern and western provinces. Disruptive rainfall, damaging winds, excessive lightning and hail were all recorded, with rainfall accumulations expected to reach at least 75-100mm in parts of the Northern Cape and North West provinces over the weekend. In Johannesburg, eight families were displaced from an apartment building after powerful winds removed a substantial portion of its roof.