Typhoon Bavi made landfall late last night in the coastal city of Taizhou in eastern China, where nearly two million people were evacuated, having earlier hit Japan’s southern Sakishima island chain and brushed past northern Taiwan.

Even as Bavi continues to slow and weaken on its northwesterly path, the typhoon is still a potent risk due to the sheer volume of moisture it holds within its rain bands, about the size of France from end to end.

Bavi had maximum sustained winds of about 144km per hour, equivalent to Category One on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, when it made landfall at around 11.20 pm local time, according to the Chinese National Meteorological Center.

State media said more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated across Zhejiang province, along with more than 100,000 each from neighbouring Fujian province and Beijing and some 34,000 from Shanghai.

While Japan and Taiwan have not yet reported any deaths from the typhoon, 17 people died in the Philippines due to heavy rains brought by an enhanced southwest monsoon, exacerbated by Bavi’s impact.

Taiwan’s fire department said 113 people had been injured, mostly from falls from motorcycles or bicycles, as well as people falling over or being struck by objects.