STORY: Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to strike mainland China this year, brought heavy rain to the eastern coast on Sunday (July 12) and lashed densely populated cities with violent winds, testing the country's ability to cope with extreme weather.

Bavi had weakened by Sunday morning to a tropical storm as it pushed inland, but forecasters warned that the France-sized storm system could unleash prolonged and widespread rain across eastern and northern China in the coming days.

Nearly 2 million people were evacuated ahead of Bavi's arrival, mostly in Zhejiang province, an economic and technological powerhouse in the world's second-largest economy. Bavi struck Zhejiang's coastal city of Yuhuan at around 11:20 p.m. (1520 GMT) on Saturday (July 11) before making a second landfall in Yueqing, part of the city of Wenzhou, at around midnight.

Scientists have warned China could face more extreme weather this year with the expected emergence of the El Nino weather pattern, which can drive up temperatures and shift typhoon tracks westward toward the country's coast.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: YUHUAN, TAIZHOU CITY, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA (AIRED JULY 12, 2026) (CCTV - No use China) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS / UPROOTED TREE ON ROAD

2. TREE BRANCHES SWAYING IN HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS

3. FLOODED STREET

4. VARIOUS OF UPROOTED TREE ON ROAD

5. HEAVY RAIN IN URBAN AREA

6. VARIOUS OF ROUGH SEAS

7. RAIN AND STRONG WINDS IN COASTAL AREA

8. ROUGH SEAS

9. HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS BLOWING AGAINST LAMPPOSTS

YUEQING, WENZHOU CITY, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA (AIRED JULY 12, 2026) (CCTV - No use China)

10. VEGETATION SUBMERGED IN FLOODWATER

11. VARIOUS OF WORKERS CLEARING ROCKS / LANDSLIDE ROCKS ON ROAD

UNSPECIFIED LOCATION, LIAONING PROVINCE, CHINA (AIRED JULY 12, 2026) (CCTV - No use China)

12. VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC MOVING THROUGH FLOODED STREETS

13. VARIOUS OF FLOODED AREAS

14. PEDESTRIANS WALKING THROUGH FLOODED STREETS

15. PEDESTRIANS WALKING IN HEAVY RAIN

SHANGHAI, CHINA (AIRED JULY 12, 2026) (CCTV - No use China)

16. (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS OF TREE BRANCHES SWAYING IN STRONG WINDS AND RAIN

17. (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS OF BROKEN TREE BRANCHES ALONG ROADSIDE

18. EXTERIOR OF EMERGENCY SHELTER

19. EVACUEES LINING UP IN SHELTER

20. EVACUEES RECEIVING SUPPLIES

BEIJING, CHINA (AIRED JULY 12, 2026) (CCTV - No use China)

21. VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ONGOING UNDER HEAVY RAIN

22. LIGHT FLASHING ON VEHICLE

23. HOSE INSERTED INTO DRAINAGE INLET WITH RAIN FALLING

24. TRAFFIC MOVING UNDER HEAVY RAIN

25. VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ONGOING