Shanghai shuts air, sea and major ground transport as it prepares for what could be its strongest storm since 1949. Coast guard members evacuate residents as heavy rains trigger flooding brought by Typhoon Bebinca in Occidental Mindoro province, the Phillippines [Philippine Coast Guard Handout.
Shanghai has shut air, sea and major ground transport as it braces for Typhoon Bebinca, in what could be the strongest tropical storm to hit the Chinese financial hub since 1949.
The Category 1 typhoon, packing maximum sustained wind speeds near its centre of around 144km/h (89mph), was about 400km (248 miles) southeast of Shanghai as of 5pm local time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday.
The typhoon, which left a deadly trail in the Philippines, is expected to make landfall along China’s eastern coast after midnight on Monday.
The China Meteorological Administration issued a typhoon red alert on Sunday afternoon, warning of gales and heavy rainfalls in eastern China.
The strongest storm to make landfall in Shanghai in recent decades was Typhoon Gloria in 1949, which tore through the city with gusts of 144km/h (89mph).
Shanghai was last threatened by a direct hit in 2022 by the powerful Typhoon Muifa, which instead landed 300km (186 miles) away in the city of Zhoushan, in Zhejiang province.
END/BR
