China’s early warning practice丨Progressive meteorological service to build a joint defense line against Typhoon Wipha

China has developed through years of practice an integrated early warning approach: government leadership, early warning first, cross-department collaboration and social engagement.

As this year's 6th Typhoon Wipha battered China's southern coast and rainstorm lashed northern regions, China's meteorological departments have activated a nationwide, multi-tiered early warning network.

Guided by the principle of "people first, life first", this mechanism has demonstrated precise forecasting and seamless inter-departmental coordination.

Early Warning: Mobilizing joint efforts to build a defense line

According to statistics, meteorological departments of Guangdong haveissued 26 meteorological bulletins tracking Wipha in response to the impacts of it.

Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Service promptly issued 5,540 town-level warning signals o frainstorm, thunderstorms and gale to the emergency responsible persons at the provincial, municipal, county and town levels, among which 3,200 were for rainstorm. A total of 14 red warning signals of rainstorm and thunderstorms with gale were issued, involving 27 towns and sub-districts. 248 people successfully responded with alert and response mechanism, 59,317 text messages to responsible persons were sent, and 1,211 flash messages were sent.

Take Xinhui as an example. Before the arrival of Typhoon Wipha, Xinhui District Meteorological Office, Jiangmen, delivered meteorological services at ferry crossings and fishing ports. It promptly released 17 meteorological warning and forecast information through WeChat groups, text messages and other channels, reaching 765 people.

Hainan Provincial Meteorological Service has released 275,600 marine forecasts and alerts to fishing vessels province-wide via the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, and issued 33 emergency warnings to 27,022 registered fishermen through the China 12379 Public Emergency Warning Platform. In total, 394,800 SMS weather alerts were disseminated to the general public.

Cross-departmental Coordination: forming unified response

From July 18 to 20, alerts have been sent via 624 million SMS broadcasts across 21 cities, coordinating meteorology, emergency management, maritime, and transport departments, covering 62.4 million people, forging synergy to tackle the adverse impacts of Wipha in Guangdong. According to the meteorological warning, by 02:00 on July 19, all 523 fishing boats operating at sea in Guangdong had returned to port to take shelter from the gale, and all 1,482 personnel working on offshore wind power construction platforms, 9,272 personnel engaged in fish farm farming, and 1,282 personnel working on marine ranches had come ashore for safety. 52 coastal scenic spots were closed.

In Hainan, upgraded typhoon alerts triggered synchronized emergency responses. Maritime authorities evacuated 230 vessels and 393 personnel using SMS, social media, and on-site notifications.

Bilateral Collaboration and tech-Powered Defense: joint endeavor to conduct analysis and diagnosis

At 20:00 (BST) on July 19, the World Meteorological Centre Beijing and the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration activated joint emergency mechanism targeting Typhoon Wipha, exchanging ideas on the forecasts of Wipha's track and impacts in a bid to strengthen the first line of defense against meteorological disasters.

The National Meteorological Centre, Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Observatory, and Guangxi Hui Autonomous Region Service and meteorological departments of Vietnam kept close communication in terms of the track, intensity and precipitation of Wipha, and conducted analysis of the impacts of Wipha on northern and central Vietnam after it landed and entered the Beibu Gulf, concerning heavy rain duration, and magnitude, as well as potential flooding, and landslide. This collaboration has enhanced joint defense capabilities against extreme weather. Both sides will hold further conduct consultations as needed for collaborative analysis.

Furthermore, "Haian-1" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) deployed a total of 34 sondes into Typhoon Wipha's peripheral cloud systems, capturing approximately over 61,000 high vertical-resolution observational profiles. These included critical measurements of temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, assisting in better "capture" of typhoon Wipha's profile.

China's early warning plan-combining tiered alerts, cross-departmental synergy, and cutting-edge tech-is transforming forecasts into life-saving actions. As "Haiyan" UAV scan new storm systems, this evolving defense exemplifies how innovation safeguards communities, reinforcing China's solemn commitment to building climate resilience and disaster prevention action through unity.