Typhoon Narra floods China; Saudel nears Japan, Taiwan
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- Typhoon Narra caused record flooding in Chongzuo, Guangxi, with water levels surpassing a 2008 high and forcing evacuation of more than 15,000 people in the city alone.
- Guangxi authorities relocated a total of 54,000 people as rising floodwaters submerged homes, shops, and power lines, with state media warning of torrential rain continuing through Wednesday across Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, and Fujian.
- Narra has lingered over the Beibu Gulf (Gulf of Tonkin) for several days, dumping heavy rain on Guangxi, Hainan, and Guangdong provinces and prompting Chongzuo to order all businesses and tourist operations to cease.
- Typhoon Saudel moved toward Okinawa in southwestern Japan and northern Taiwan, with Japan's weather agency warning of destructive gusts, extremely strong winds, and high seas.
- Taiwan reported one dead and four missing from a separate tropical depression that caused flooding in Tainan and Kaohsiung, even as Saudel is forecast to pass north of the island from late Thursday into Friday.
- Kaohsiung received almost a metre of rain over three days, exceeding rainfall from 2009's Typhoon Morakot — which killed about 700 people and caused up to US$3 billion in damage.
Why it matters: With 54,000 already displaced in Guangxi and Saudel still approaching, three countries are simultaneously running major weather responses. The Kaohsiung rainfall exceeding 2009's Morakot benchmark — a storm that killed roughly 700 people — signals Taiwan's flood infrastructure faces a serious stress test before Saudel even makes landfall.
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