Typhoon Bavi, the most powerful storm to strike mainland ​China this year, brought heavy rain to the eastern coast on Sunday and lashed densely populated cities with violent winds, testing the country’s ability ‌to cope with extreme weather.

Bavi had weakened by Sunday morning to a tropical storm as it pushed inland, but forecasters warned that the France-sized storm system could unleash prolonged and widespread rain across eastern and northern China in the coming days.

Nearly 2 million people were evacuated ahead of Bavi’s arrival, mostly in Zhejiang province, an economic and technological powerhouse in the world’s second-largest economy.

Bavi struck Zhejiang’s coastal city of ​Yuhuan at around 11.20pm on Saturday before making a second landfall in Yueqing, part of the city of Wenzhou, at around midnight.

“The winds were ​very strong,” Yueqing resident Li Liangxing told Reuters.

“We could hear roof tiles and tree branches falling. Of course we were scared, but ⁠we live by the sea, so we’re used to it.”

Gesturing toward a flooded canal beside his residential compound, Li said he had never seen the water so high.

“There used ​to be a walkway there, but now it’s underwater.”

More than 1,300 trees fell across Yueqing, with more than 700 of them uprooted entirely, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The deepest flooding ​reached roughly half the height of a vehicle tyre.

Emergency crews on Sunday deployed excavators and chainsaws to clear waterlogged streets littered with fallen trees.

In the city’s mountainous north, footage aired by CCTV showed a landslide that sent large boulders tumbling onto a mountain road, while swollen river waters submerged nearby trees.

In Kanmen, a coastal fishing town in Yuhuan, 72-year-old parcel shop owner Lin Yongjin was counting the cost ​of Bavi.

His shop, which faces the sea, bore the brunt of the storm. Metal frames supporting the entrance canopy had collapsed, and a window in a neighbouring building had ​been blown out.

Lin estimated the typhoon had caused more than 6,000 yuan ($885) in damage.

“After it came ashore, there was nothing we could do. Rainwater poured into the house. We spent the whole ‌night dealing ⁠with it and didn’t get to sleep until after 5am,” he said.

Having lived through many typhoons, Lin said this one stood out.

“It was a very powerful typhoon. It made landfall right here in Kanmen. We were right in its path.”

Flights, trains disrupted

Bavi passed northern Taiwan on Saturday, bringing strong winds and driving rain across much of the island. The storm dumped nearly 80 cm of rain in one area in the northern county of Miaoli.

Taiwan’s fire department said on Sunday that 134 people had been injured, mainly due to ​falling off motorbikes, slipping or being struck ​by objects.

It reported no deaths. ⁠The transport ministry said 137 international flights had been cancelled on Sunday, along with 62 domestic trips.

The disruption also extended to China’s transport networks.

In Zhejiang’s provincial capital, Hangzhou, two major train stations suspended all services and 327 flights were cancelled at Xiaoshan International Airport.

In ​neighbouring Shanghai, a total of 1,620 train trips and 684 flights were cancelled, state-backed The Paper reported.

As Bavi churns further across ​China, regions near its ⁠path could receive several hundred millimetres of rain in a matter of days, raising the risk of flooding, landslides and urban inundation, said Benjamin Horton, the dean of the School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong.

“Even if the storm weakens after landfall, its large circulation can continue to generate destructive weather hundreds of kilometres inland,” he said.

Scientists have ⁠warned China could ​face more extreme weather this year with the expected emergence of the El Niño weather pattern, which can ​drive up temperatures and shift typhoon tracks westward toward the country’s coast.

“Rapid intensification (of typhoons) reduces preparation time for communities and emergency managers, making these events particularly challenging,” Horton said.