Shanghai slammed by what China says is the city’s strongest storm in seven decades

Hong Kong CNN —

Shanghai was brought to a standstill on Monday by what authorities say was the strongest typhoon to directly hit the Chinese financial hub in more than seven decades, with flights, trains and highways suspended during a national holiday.

Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in an industrial suburb southeast of the metropolis of 25 million people at about 7:30 a.m. local time. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) said it packed top wind speeds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph), the equivalent of a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane.

The China Meteorological Administration recorded wind speeds of 151 kph (94 mph) near the typhoon’s eye when it made landfall, and state media described it as the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since 1949.

The administration on Monday issued a red typhoon warning, its most severe alert, warning of gale force winds, heavy rainfall and coastal floods in large swathes of eastern China.

The powerful storm has disrupted travel plans for holidaymakers during the Mid-Autumn festival, or Moon Festival, a three-day national holiday that started on Sunday.

All flights at Shanghai’s two international airports have been canceled since 8 p.m. Sunday. The city also suspended its ferry services, halted some train lines and closed ports, bridges and highways on Monday.

Many tourist destinations in the city, including Shanghai Disney Resort, were also shut on Monday. Videos on Douyin, China’s version of Tiktok, show Disney staff taping trash bins to fences at the park.

A large number of fishing boats moor at a port to avoid Typhoon Bebinca in Zhoushan, China, on September 15, 2024.

More than 414,000 people in Shanghai had been evacuated to safety by midnight Monday, with exhibition centers and