By Associated Press
BEIJING: A major typhoon gathered strength on Wednesday as it headed over open water toward the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai.
Heavy rain was reported in the city of more than 20 million people as Typhoon Muifa approached in the evening.
The Hong Kong Observatory classified it as a severe typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour.
All flights at Shanghai’s two main airports were cancelled and authorities were evacuating people from construction sites and other risky areas, according to Chinese media reports.
Typhoon Muifa is the latest in a series of organized tropical systems to develop in the West Pacific basin in the past few weeks. Muifa formed in the open waters of the Philippine Sea last Thursday: https://t.co/s6tMs7SfJY
— Breaking Weather by AccuWeather (@breakingweather) September 13, 2022
The typhoon had been expected to make landfall in the afternoon in Zhejiang province, but it shifted slightly eastward, keeping it at sea and putting it on track for a direct hit on Shanghai.
All flights were cancelled at Ningbo airport in Zhejiang and more than 11,000 fishing boats returned to port in the province, Chinese media said.
ALSO READ | Most powerful typhoon batters South Korea with 3 feet of rain, damaging winds
The requirement of a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours to enter buildings and other public areas in much of China was suspended in Ningbo, except at airports, train stations and highway entrances.
The storm’s latest track would take it through Jiangsu and Shandong provinces along China’s northeast coast after hitting Shanghai.
BEIJING: A major typhoon gathered strength on Wednesday as it headed over open water toward the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai.
Heavy rain was reported in the city of more than 20 million people as Typhoon Muifa approached in the evening.
The Hong Kong Observatory classified it as a severe typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour.
All flights at Shanghai’s two main airports were cancelled and authorities were evacuating people from construction sites and other risky areas, according to Chinese media reports.
Typhoon Muifa is the latest in a series of organized tropical systems to develop in the West Pacific basin in the past few weeks. Muifa formed in the open waters of the Philippine Sea last Thursday: https://t.co/s6tMs7SfJY
— Breaking Weather by AccuWeather (@breakingweather) September 13, 2022
The typhoon had been expected to make landfall in the afternoon in Zhejiang province, but it shifted slightly eastward, keeping it at sea and putting it on track for a direct hit on Shanghai.
All flights were cancelled at Ningbo airport in Zhejiang and more than 11,000 fishing boats returned to port in the province, Chinese media said.
ALSO READ | Most powerful typhoon batters South Korea with 3 feet of rain, damaging winds
The requirement of a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours to enter buildings and other public areas in much of China was suspended in Ningbo, except at airports, train stations and highway entrances.
The storm’s latest track would take it through Jiangsu and Shandong provinces along China’s northeast coast after hitting Shanghai.
