Anchor
Typhoon Saudel-26 passes Okinawa, reaches China after orange alert
Force in PlayAfter a Category 4 crossing, Saudel reformed at sea and is nearing Taiwan.
5 days ago: Revived Saudel near Taiwan StraitNew here? Follow stories to track developments over time. Create a free account to get updates when stories you care about change.
Overview
Updated 5 days agoOn Aug 18, an automated UN-European Commission warning network flagged a tropical depression east of the Northern Mariana Islands. Four days later it was Typhoon Saudel-26, a Category 4 storm with 213 km/h winds and 13.1 million people in its path.
Saudel hit Zhejiang province on Aug 28, then did something less common: it reformed. After weakening inland, the storm re-emerged over the South China Sea and regained typhoon strength, heading for the Taiwan Strait as of Sept 3.
Why it matters
Thirteen million people in Japan, China, and the Northern Mariana Islands got ten days' warning that a Category 4 typhoon was coming.
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Key Indicators
213 km/h
Maximum sustained wind speed
Peak intensity on Aug 22, Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, per IBTrACS. GDACS's summary lists 231 km/h as the overall maximum.
13.1 million
Population exposed to Category 1+ winds
GDACS RSS alert estimate at issuance on Aug 18; a later GDACS report page lists 1.3 million for the refined track.
4 days
Tropical depression to Category 4
Rapid intensification from Aug 18 to Aug 22.
950 mb
Lowest central pressure in IBTrACS track
IBTrACS operational track lists 950 mb on Aug 23; JMA reported 940 hPa on Aug 25.
2
China landfalls on Aug 28
Saudel came ashore at Yuhuan at 08:05 local time and Wenzhou at 09:10.
3rd
Typhoon to hit Kanmen, Yuhuan in 2026
Bavi and Dolphin also made landfall at the same Zhejiang town; Saudel was the third in two months.
Sept 1
Expected date of redevelopment
JMA forecast the remnant depression to regain typhoon strength by the morning of Sept 1 over the South China Sea.
45,000
People in tropical-storm winds near Marianas
First populated area exposed Aug 21-22, per GDACS track data.
Related Media
Storm travel chaos as Typhoon Saudel makes double landfall in China | South China Morning Post
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Typhoon Saudel-26 passes Okinawa, reaches China after orange alert
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Organizations Involved
Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
International Alert System
Issued orange alert for Saudel-26 on Aug 18, 2026
Automated UN-European Commission system that rates sudden-onset disasters by humanitarian impact.
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
US military tropical cyclone warning center
Tracked Saudel as Typhoon 17W
US Navy-Air Force center issuing tropical cyclone warnings for the western Pacific and Indian oceans.
TJ
RSMC Tokyo (Japan Meteorological Agency)
World Meteorological Organization regional center
Named the storm Saudel and issued official advisories as TY 2618
The United Nations World Meteorological Organization's designated center for western North Pacific typhoons.
National Weather Service Tiyan, Guam
US National Weather Service forecast office
Issued local typhoon advisories for the Northern Mariana Islands
US weather office responsible for warnings in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
IB
International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS)
Research data archive
Holds the provisional operational track for Saudel-26
NOAA-supported archive of global tropical cyclone tracks.
China Meteorological Administration
Federal agency
Discontinued Saudel's typhoon designation Aug 30, then tracked its revival
China's national weather service, which runs the National Meteorological Center and the AI-TRANS typhoon prediction system.
AI
AI-TRANS
Typhoon prediction system
Forecast Saudel's Zhejiang landfalls with high accuracy
High-resolution typhoon prediction system developed by the China Meteorological Administration.
WE
Weathernews
Weather information company
Reported Saudel's post-landfall redevelopment
Japanese weather information company tracking the revived storm.
Timeline
August 2026 September 2026
16 events
Latest: 5 days ago
Showing 8 of 16
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-
Revived Saudel near Taiwan Strait
Latest WarningThe storm was forecast to reach the area near the Taiwan Strait in the early hours of Sept 3, with Taiwan under a large-scale low-pressure system and local heavy rain risk.
-
Redevelopment expected over South China Sea
RedevelopmentThe revived Saudel was expected to reach typhoon strength by the morning of Sept 1 and track northeast across the South China Sea toward the Taiwan Strait.
-
JMA tracks depression, expects redevelopment
ForecastJMA placed the remnant depression at 20.4N, 110.2E over southern China and forecast it to redevelop into a typhoon by Sept 1, keeping the name Saudel rather than a new storm number.
-
CMA drops typhoon designation
WeakeningAfter weakening to a tropical depression inland, the storm was no longer classified as a typhoon. The China Meteorological Administration discontinued its designation at 17:00.
-
Saudel hits Zhejiang, weakens inland
DissipationSaudel made landfall near Yuhuan at 08:05 local time and near Wenzhou at 09:10, then weakened to a tropical depression. The remnants later redeveloped over the South China Sea.
-
Double landfall in Zhejiang
LandfallSaudel came ashore at Kanmen in Yuhuan, Zhejiang, at 08:05 local time with 35 m/s winds, then made a second landfall near Wenzhou at 09:10. It was the third typhoon to hit Kanmen in 2026.
-
Fujian raises emergency response to Level II
ResponseChina's Fujian province activated its second-highest typhoon emergency level ahead of landfall, with a Level IV flood-control response in place.
-
RSMC forecasts China landfall
ForecastSaudel at 28.6N, 125.3E with 75-knot winds; China landfall forecast within 36 hours.
-
Saudel pounds Okinawa and Amami
ImpactSaudel crossed Okinoerabu Island around midnight, then swept past Okinawa and Amami. It injured two people, cut power, and forced about 150 flight cancellations at Naha airport.
-
Okinawa in the crosshairs
WarningSaudel 335 miles east of Okinawa, 115 mph, forecast to pass near as Category 2.
-
Saudel holds Category 4 strength
IntensificationGDACS listed 231 km/h as the storm's overall maximum wind speed; the JTWC operational track showed 222 km/h on Aug 23.
-
Rapid intensification to Category 4
Peak intensitySaudel peaks at 213 km/h with 950 mb central pressure over open Pacific.
-
Saudel becomes a typhoon
IntensificationStorm jumps Category 1 to 2 in 12 hours; 45,000 islanders in tropical-storm winds.
-
Saudel nears typhoon strength
DevelopmentWinds reach 93 km/h as the storm moves west-northwest toward the Marianas.
-
Storm strengthens, named Saudel
DevelopmentRSMC Tokyo upgrades the system to tropical storm Saudel with 65 km/h winds.
-
GDACS issues orange alert as depression forms
AlertTropical depression forms east of the Northern Marianas; GDACS estimates 13.1 million exposed.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
July-August 2015
Typhoon Soudelor (2015)
Soudelor, a Category 5 super typhoon, crossed the Northern Mariana Islands, Taiwan, and eastern China in August 2015, leaving dozens dead and knocking out power on Saipan for weeks.
Then
Saipan lost power and water for weeks; Taiwan and China's Fujian province suffered heavy flooding and landslides.
Now
The storm set the benchmark for Northern Marianas typhoon damage before Yutu surpassed it three years later.
Why this matters now
Soudelor tracked the same corridor as Saudel-26: Northern Marianas to Taiwan to eastern China.
September 2018
Typhoon Mangkhut (2018)
Mangkhut, a Category 5 super typhoon, crossed the northern Philippines and then struck Guangdong, China. More than 130 people died, most in the Philippines, and Guangdong evacuated millions before landfall.
Then
The Philippines took the heaviest casualties; China's mass evacuations kept its toll comparatively low.
Now
Mangkhut remains a reference point for how preparation shapes typhoon death tolls in the western Pacific.
Why this matters now
It shows what a strong Saudel-26 could have meant for mainland China, where GDACS counted most of the 13.1 million exposed people.
October 2018
Super Typhoon Yutu (2018)
Yutu, the strongest storm on record to hit the Northern Mariana Islands, struck Saipan and Tinian with 290 km/h winds, damaging most homes on the islands and leaving residents without power for months.
Then
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mounted a major relief operation; rebuilding took years.
Now
Yutu became the benchmark for Marianas typhoon disasters and a test case for Pacific island resilience.
Why this matters now
Saudel-26 formed in the same waters east of the Marianas, briefly exposing 45,000 island residents to tropical-storm winds before turning toward Japan and China.