Typhoon Bavi Pummels Southern Japan, Taiwan, China
Your Daily Update for July 12, 2026. Plus: Millions of people were evacuated ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, which struck Japan, Taiwan, and China over the last few days.
Welcome to today’s daily update for Sunday, July 12, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Typhoon Bavi has made landfall in southeastern China after a weeklong journey through the Pacific, pummeling various islands along the way.
Bavi began as a tropical depression in the central Pacific on July 1, moving west past the Federated States of Micronesia. However, the storm quickly grew over the next few days, dramatically strengthening after passing over extremely warm waters.
On July 5, Bavi hit the American island of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with sustained wind speeds of over 180 mph – gusts reached as fast as 215 mph. Severe coastal erosion was reported along beaches, and many of the islands’ trees were stripped completely bare. Most homes and businesses managed to escape the destruction, but areas closer to the eyewall of the typhoon were completely decimated.
Then, Bavi moved into the western Pacific, beginning a trek towards the Chinese coast. Cooler waters forced the storm to weaken in wind speeds, but the typhoon itself remained of a massive size. By Friday, Typhoon Bavi had arrived at Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, packing winds of over 100 mph.
The islands were shut down as heavy rain inundated towns and storm surge lashed coastlines, and Bavi’s size allowed it to impact Taiwan as well. Despite not making landfall on the island, Bavi dropped more than three feet of rain in some areas – flights, ports, and trains were shut down to prevent loss of life, and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in eastern, more mountainous regions.
Thankfully, the storm moved at a relatively quick pace, advancing towards China’s southeastern coast. More than 1.7 million people were evacuated across the Zhejiang and Fujian provinces ahead of the storm, and coastal cities like Fuzhou, Wenzhou, Ningbo, and Taizhou were largely shut down.
However, many residents were unconcerned with the storm – the region receives frequent typhoons, and most infrastructure is designed to be wind and water-resistant. Bavi made landfall in the province of Zhejiang near Wenzhou yesterday, and is now moving north into the province of Anhui.
Bavi’s wind speeds have largely decreased, down to around 70 mph, but it still poses a major flood threat – particularly in large cities like Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. Areas with old infrastructure could see roads, homes, and businesses washed away, while regions with newer infrastructure could still see significant flooding due to Bavi’s thick moisture bands. The storm will continue to weaken over the next few days, but citizens that are not under evacuation orders may need to stay indoors to remain safe.
The Global Snapshot
At least two people were killed and several others were injured after a shooting at a street festival in Toronto, according to local authorities. The festival, known as Salsa on St Clair – the name of the avenue on which the event takes place – drew more than 13,000 people and is Canada’s largest Latin street festival.
The US and Iran have continued to strike one another after a major re-escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Iran has hit multiple vessels using “unapproved” routes, prompting the United States to respond with strikes on various targets across Iran. Meanwhile, American bases across the Gulf, including locations in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE, have been targeted by Iran.
The death toll in last month’s pair of devastating earthquakes in Venezuela has risen past 4,300, and more bodies are still being discovered. Thousands of others have been injured, and more than 18,000 people saw their homes destroyed in the quakes. Additionally, a humanitarian crisis is building – diseases are on the rise, and more residents are now seeking treatment for chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure after local hospitals were destroyed or are now dysfunctional.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The sixth-largest pyramid in the world is the Memphis Pyramid, which houses a Bass Pro Shops, a 100-room hotel, a 600,000-gallon aquarium, and more. At 32 stories tall, it also has the tallest freestanding elevator in the U.S.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you. (Walt Whitman)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Xeric (adj, ZEER-ic) - Xeric means “characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.”
In a Sentence: She is a botanist who primarily studies xeric plants.
Image: NASA Earth Observatory / Public Domain
Yesterday there was 0 flights arrival into taiwan