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.
Shanghai is typically spared the strong typhoons that hit further south in China, including Typhoon Yagi, a destructive Category 4 storm that roared past southern Hainan province last week. But Shanghai and neighbouring provinces are taking no chances with Category 1 Bebinca.
All flights have been ordered cancelled at Shanghai’s two airports from 8pm (12:00 GMT) local time on Sunday, and the operator, the Shanghai Airport (Group) Co said it will announce adjustments depending on the typhoon’s impact.
The Shanghai railway station has also suspended some services to ensure passenger safety, and the Shenzhen government said trains to and from Shanghai will be halted.
Resorts in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disney Resort, have been temporarily closed, while most ferries have been halted to and from Chongming Island.
In Zhejiang, ships have been recalled while several parks in the provincial capital Hangzhou announced closures.
Bebinca’s arrival will coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a nationwide three-day holiday when many Chinese travel or engage in outdoor activities.
In the Philippines, falling trees killed six people after Typhoon Bebinca brought strong winds and floods on Saturday and Sunday.
According to ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol newscast, four children were killed when a huge tree fell on the motorised rickshaw they were on in the southern island of Mindanao.
Another child and a woman were also killed in two separate incidents when trees fell on their respective homes in Zamboanga del Sur province, which is also in Mindanao, according to AFP news agency.
