Typhoon Shanghai China: Hundreds of flights cancelled with international tourists impacted as strongest storm in 75 years hits

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Hundreds of flights are being cancelled as Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949, hits prompting evacuations.

Flights were cancelled at Shanghai airport starting from yesterday (15 September). In Hangzhou, about 170km (106miles) southwest of Shanghai, authorities were planning to cancel more than 180 flights.

Over 40,000 people were evacuated and trains and ferries were suspended as residents were asked to stay at home amid disruptions. Bebinca made landfall yesterday morning in the Pudong business district with maximum winds of 151kmph (94mph) near its centre.

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The city, home to 25 million people, rarely faces such intense typhoons. This is the strongest storm to make landfall in the city since 1949.

Hundreds of flights are being cancelled as Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949, hits prompting evacuations. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)Hundreds of flights are being cancelled as Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949, hits prompting evacuations. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
Hundreds of flights are being cancelled as Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949, hits prompting evacuations. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

Bebinca comes just a few days after Typhoon Yagi recently hit Southeast Asia and China, causing devastation. Shanghai is expected to receive up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain between Monday (16 September) and Wednesday (18 September), according to weather authorities.

International travellers are being impacted by flight cancellations as Shanghai is a stopover or final destination. Tourists and business travellers have been forced to postpone or cancel their plans, leading to an increased demand for alternative routes and accommodations.

The China Meteorological Administration has issued a red typhoon warning for today (Monday 16 September), its most severe alert, warning of gale force winds, heavy rainfall and coastal floods in large swathes of eastern China. The powerful storm has also disrupted travel plans for holidaymakers during the Mid-Autumn festival, or Moon Festival, a three-day national holiday that started on Sunday.

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The typhoon is expected to quickly weaken into a tropical storm as it moves inland toward the west. Bebinca is the second major storm to hit China this month, following deadly Super Typhoon Yagi, the world’s second most powerful tropical cyclone so far this year. Scientists have found that hotter oceans caused by the human-caused climate crisis are leading storms to intensify more rapidly.

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