China prepares for more heavy rain from back-to-back storms

China's coastal areas and southern regions are preparing for days of intense precipitation, with tens of thousands of people evacuated as Typhoon Narra tracks inland and another storm churns toward the country's eastern seaboard.

Narra made landfall as a tropical storm in China’s southern island province of Hainan on Tuesday evening after lingering over the Beibu Gulf for several days, bringing heavy rain to Guangxi, Hainan and Guangdong.

Narra, Typhoon Saudel and tropical cyclones Gaenari and Atsani have formed a rare quartet of storms simultaneously swirling across the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea, according to China’s Meteorological Administration.

Thousands evacuated as rain intensifies

The multi-storm system has prompted authorities in Guangxi and Hainan to close businesses, suspend tourist activities and evacuate tens of thousands of residents.

Heavy rain is expected to continue across southern China, with rivers already exceeding warning levels and flooding low-lying areas in Guangxi.

Typhoon Saudel is forecast to make landfall between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces from Thursday to Friday, with its outer rain bands potentially extending toward Guangxi.

Saudel disrupts Japan travel

Saudel swept across Japan’s Okinawa prefecture early Wednesday, bringing warnings for destructive winds and high seas. Nearly 35,000 homes lost power in the Amami island chain, while 92 flights across Okinawa were cancelled.

• Record rainfall in Japan kills 8, strands thousands at Narita airport
• Typhoon Dolphin hits Japan's Okinawa, China shuts ports ahead of landfall
• Typhoon Dolphin hits eastern China, forcing more than one million to evacuate

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said Saudel is tracking north of the island and is expected to gradually weaken, bringing moderate rainfall to northern and southern Taiwan through Friday.

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Narra Typhoon Saudel China Guangxi Guangdong tropical storms Japan