Within 50 days, a small street became the "bullseye" of three typhoons——
Why this year’s typhoon didn’t follow the “usual path”
In the summer and autumn of 2026, the Northwest Pacific seemed to be in a state of "excitement." At a recent press conference held by the China Meteorological Administration, Huang Zhuo, deputy director of the National Meteorological Center, announced a set of data: As of September 29, a total of 26 typhoons have been generated in the northwest Pacific and the South China Sea, and 7 typhoons have made landfall, which is significantly more than normal. The intensity is generally stronger, and there are many typhoons with long life histories, long residence times on land, and large impacts. Among them, many typhoons have reached super typhoon level.
Among the "cluster" of typhoons, there is a "coincidence" that has attracted widespread attention: this year's Typhoon No. 9 "Bavi", Typhoon No. 13 "White Dolphin", and Typhoon No. 18 "Shadr" successively landed in Kanmen Street, Yuhuan City, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, performing a rare "hat trick" of typhoon landings and setting a new meteorological record for typhoon landings along the East China Coast.
In 50 days, why did a small Kanmen street become the "bullseye" of three typhoons?
The number of typhoons surges, driven by El Niño
The surge in the number of typhoons this year is rooted in the abnormal resonance of ocean and atmospheric circulation, and the primary driver is the El Niño event. According to the National Climate Center, sea surface temperatures in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean will continue to fluctuate and rise. The peak of the sea temperature index is expected to occur around November, forming a super strong El Niño event, which is likely to become the strongest in the history of observational records.
Previously, the equatorial central and eastern Pacific entered El Niño status in May this year. Under the El Niño background, sea temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific are anomalously high. Every time a typhoon passes through a warm sea, it is like adding fuel, causing it to grow and develop rapidly. At the same time, the air flow from the southern hemisphere across the equator to the northern hemisphere is relatively active, and it meets the easterly air flow on the south side of the subtropical high in the monsoon trough to form the "embryo" of typhoons. Supported by abundant warm seawater and strong water vapor transport, these "embryos" can develop and grow rapidly. In addition, many typhoons are generated in the ocean far away from our country. They can obtain longer "energy replenishment" time on their way to the country, and can easily develop into strong typhoons or even super typhoons with complete structures. This year, five typhoons reached super typhoon level, and four typhoons were generated one after another in just six days from August 19 to 24, which is a reflection of this mechanism. Some forecasts show that the typhoon season activity in 2026 is expected to be 60% higher than the historical average. Relevant studies also show that under the background of global warming, the frequency of strong typhoons making landfall in the northwest Pacific increases significantly.
Three typhoons landed on the same street, the first time in history
It is very rare for three typhoons to land in the same place one after another, but there are some exceptions. For example, in 2010, Typhoon No. 6 "Lion Rock", Typhoon No. 11 "Fanyabi" and Typhoon No. 13 "Catyu" successively landed on the coast of Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province. In 2018, Typhoon No. 10 "Ambi", Typhoon No. 12 "Skylark" and Typhoon No. 18 "Wumbia" all landed on the coast of Shanghai.
"But Kanmen Subdistrict is a subdistrict under the jurisdiction of a county-level city." Zhang Ling, chief forecaster of the Central Meteorological Observatory, said, "Three typhoons successively landed on the coast of the same street in the same year, which has never happened in historical meteorological observation records." She said that this year, three typhoons with intensity above typhoon level "three consecutive landings" along the coast of Kanmen Subdistrict are extreme events with a very small probability that occur under a special climate background.
Weng Zhimei, director of the Taizhou Meteorological Observatory in Zhejiang Province, said that the "cluster" landfall of three typhoons is inseparable from the unique geographical location and topographic characteristics of Kanmen Street. "The coastline of Taizhou City is winding and winding. Kanmen Street in Yuhuan City is surrounded by the sea on three sides. The terrain is open and unobstructed, and it stretches to the southeast on the sea. It is easier to be the first to be touched by typhoons on the northwest path."
It is predicted that in October, there will be 3 to 4 typhoons in the northwest Pacific and South China Sea, and 1 to 2 typhoons will make landfall or significantly affect our country. The intensity of the typhoon is generally strong, and its movement path is mainly northwest and westward, mainly affecting the coastal areas of South China. Weng Zhimei reminded the public to try not to go to dangerous areas such as mountainous areas, slopes, and river valleys when a typhoon arrives, and to pay attention to the latest forecast and warning information in a timely manner.
(Reporters Li Chunjian and Lu Jian)
