Typhoon Bebinca, the second major storm to hit China within weeks, slammed into Shanghai with fierce winds and heavy rains, disrupting life in the city. This follows the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yagi, which affected southern China, Hainan Island, and later parts of Vietnam and Thailand.
As Typhoon Bebinca approached, hundreds of thousands of residents from Shanghai and nearby coastal areas were evacuated. The storm also severely impacted travel plans for millions at the start of the mid-autumn festival. Winds reached speeds of up to 42 meters per second, battering the city early Monday morning.
Impact and Wind Speeds
Typhoon Bebinca is expected to cause a storm surge of 1 to 2 meters along the Yangtze River, with the worst impact likely to hit the northern side of Shanghai, according to meteorologists. The storm made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It is the strongest storm to strike Shanghai since 1949.
Flight cancellations have affected Hangzhou, a major city located 175 kilometers southwest of Shanghai, disrupting over a hundred flights. High-speed rail services across the Yangtze Delta were also halted, further affecting travel across the region.
Zhoushan, a city with significant oil storage facilities, advised residents to remain indoors as heavy rains and strong winds began to hit on Sunday afternoon.
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