At around midnight on Thursday (August 14, 2025), the center of the year’s 11th typhoon, Podul, struck the coastal region of Zhangpu County in Fujian Province (East China) for the second time, packing maximum near-center winds of Force 11 (strong gale). After landfall, the storm is forecast to weaken but will still trigger heavy rain and strong winds across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou.
Alerts and Emergency Measures
By 6:00 AM on Thursday, China’s National Meteorological Center issued an orange alert for heavy rain and a blue typhoon warning. In response, Chaozhou City activated its ”five suspensions” policy—halting classes, work, production, transportation, and business activities citywide starting at 11:00 PM on Wednesday (August 13). Essential services (water, electricity, gas, telecoms, healthcare, and disaster relief) remained operational. Evacuation shelters were opened for residents, while the public was urged to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel.
Impact So Far
By Wednesday daytime, Podul had already brought rainfall to Taiwan, Fujian, and Guangdong. By 2:00 PM on Wednesday, parts of Pingtung and Taitung (Taiwan) recorded over 200 mm of rain in six hours, with gusts reaching Force 13–14 (near gale to storm force) and even exceeding Force 17 (violent storm) on Lanyu Island. Meanwhile, Fujian’s coastal areas faced gusts of Force 8 or higher.
The typhoon disrupted transportation, leading to:
- Suspension of ferry services between Xiamen–Kinmen and Quanzhou–Kinmen.
- Cancellations on key rail lines, including Beijing–Guangzhou, Beijing–Kowloon, Hangzhou–Shenzhen, Ningbo–Guangzhou, and Meizhou–Shantou.
Ongoing and Future Risks
Sun Qianqian, a meteorologist at Weather China, warned: “Landfall doesn’t mean the threat is over. Podul will continue moving inland, dumping heavy rain across multiple provinces in the coming days.”
- Post-landfall weakening: Due to friction over land and reduced ocean energy, Podul will gradually weaken but still bring torrential rain to Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan.
- Westward track: Influenced by easterly winds from the subtropical high, the storm will drift westward, with remnants possibly entering Guizhou before dissipating or moving into the Sichuan Basin.
- Thursday’s heavy rain focus: Guangdong, Guangxi, and southern Hunan will see the worst downpours, with Guizhou and other areas affected on Friday.
- Prolonged rainfall risks: Once Podul’s remnants reach northern Guangxi and southern Hunan, they will slow down, leading to extended heavy rain and high cumulative rainfall, increasing the threat of secondary disasters (e.g., landslides, floods).
