Typhoon prompts mass evacuations, school closures in south China
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Typhoon Wutip forces evacuations, shuts schools, and halts rail in Hainan.
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A man checks his damaged boat after Typhoon Yagi hit Ha Long Bay (AFP)
Chinese authorities have evacuated thousands of residents, suspended rail services, and closed schools across the southern island of Hainan as Typhoon Wutip 2025 approaches, state media reported Friday.
More than 16,000 people were evacuated from construction zones, low-lying flood-prone areas, and regions at high risk of flash floods, according to Xinhua. Additionally, over 40,000 individuals working on boats were brought ashore as a precautionary measure.
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) stated that Typhoon Wutip, the first to make landfall in the country this year, developed over the South China Sea on Wednesday.
It is expected to bring torrential rain exceeding 100 millimeters across six cities and counties, accompanied by winds reaching up to 101 kilometers per hour (63 mph).
As part of the emergency response, Hainan halted high-speed rail services, while the southern city of Sanya ordered the closure of all schools and major tourist attractions. Authorities continue to monitor the storm’s path as it moves inland.
On June 11, No. 1 #Typhoon #Wutip of this year was formed.
— ä¸å›½æ°”象局 CMA (@cmanewsinfocus) June 12, 2025
On the same day, fishing boats in the Bohe Port of Dianbai District, Maoming, @iGuangdong , China received typhoon warning from the meteorological department and took shelter in the port.
Photoed by LI Peiming pic.twitter.com/8wBylShU7C
Wutip may strike Guangdong, Guangxi next
The CMA forecasted that Wutip may make landfall again between western Guangdong and Guangxi on Saturday, maintaining its classification as a severe tropical storm before weakening and shifting northeastward.
Precautionary measures are being extended across broader southern China in anticipation of further impacts.
Typhoon Wutip is the latest in a string of extreme weather events to affect China, which has experienced several consecutive summers marked by searing heat, prolonged droughts, heavy rainfall, and devastating floods.
The country is simultaneously the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and a major force in renewable energy development, with a long-term goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
Last August, Typhoon Gaemi, which swept in from the Philippines and Taiwan before striking eastern China, left at least 30 people dead and dozens missing.
Authorities remain on high alert as Typhoon Wutip 2025 threatens to repeat similar patterns of disruption across the southern provinces.
