Why Are Super Typhoons Making Landfall in Zhejiang Particularly Deadly? Zhejiang Typhoon Archives

Zhejiang is not the province with the most typhoon landfalls, but it is one of the provinces suffering the heaviest losses from direct hits by super typhoons. Saomai and Lekima both left deep scars here.

Zhejiang's Typhoons: "Few but Fierce"

Zhejiang experiences an average of 1-2 typhoon landfalls per year, fewer than Guangdong or Hainan, but their intensity is astonishing:

• Typhoon 5612 (1956): Made landfall at Menqiantu, Xiangshan, with a central pressure of approximately 923 hPa. It was one of the strongest typhoons to hit mainland China since the founding of the People's Republic of China, causing thousands of fatalities.
• Saomai (2006): Made landfall in Cangnan as a super typhoon with a central pressure of 920 hPa. The tragedy at offshore fishing ports shocked the nation.
• Lekima (2019): Made landfall in Wenling, causing over 50 billion yuan in economic losses nationwide, including the tragic dammed lake incident in Shanzao Village, Yongjia.

Why Zhejiang Is Prone to "Heavy Blows"

• Recurvature Point Effect: Many typhoons make their final westward turn before recurving in the East China Sea. Zhejiang lies at the "terminal station" for typhoons moving northwest, meaning they often arrive while still at peak intensity or just past it.
• Sea Surface Temperature Support: High sea surface temperatures in the East China Sea during late summer slow down the decay of typhoons as they move northward.
• Topographic Enhancement of Rainfall: The mountainous terrain in southern Zhejiang, such as the Yandang and Kuocang Mountains, significantly lifts typhoon circulations, leading to extremely high risks of heavy rain and geological disasters in mountainous areas.

Unique Risk Factors in Zhejiang

• Storm Surge + Qiantang River Tidal BoreIf a typhoon coincides with an astronomical high tide, the storm surge in Hangzhou Bay overlaps with the tidal bore, placing immense pressure on seawalls.
• Flash Floods in Small Mountain Watersheds: Villages in southern Zhejiang are often built along streams. Flash floods triggered by typhoon rains can develop with extreme speed.
• Offshore Aquaculture and Fishing Ports: With dense concentrations of fish rafts and aquaculture facilities, evacuating personnel is a key focus of typhoon preparedness.

Data Query

The TyphoonSays landfall aggregation page allows you to view all historical typhoons with "Zhejiang" listed as a landfall location. Our real-time track data is sourced from the Real-Time Typhoon Track Release System of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources. Typhoon prevention is a "top priority" in Zhejiang, and its level of typhoon informatization ranks among the highest in the country.