Shanghai: China’s financial hub, Shanghai, is preparing for what could be the worst rainfall in over 40 years as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches from the south, set to impact the eastern coast over the next two days. In anticipation of the severe weather, Shanghai’s railway operator has announced the suspension of some high-speed trains from Thursday to Friday. The railway bureau will closely monitor the typhoon’s path and adjust train schedules as needed.
Authorities are urging residents to stock up on drinking water and non-perishable food items in preparation for the forecasted extreme weather, which has not been experienced since 1981, according to Chinese media reports.
Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall in Taiwan as a strong Category 4 storm on Thursday, marking it as the largest storm to impact the island in 30 years. The storm is anticipated to unleash heavy rain and strong winds, with Taiwan’s meteorological service reporting that Kong-rey will likely cross the southern part of the island, move into the Taiwan Strait, and head northeast toward mainland China afterward.
In the Western Pacific basin, the typhoon season can extend until December in lower latitudes. This year alone, large tropical cyclones, including Super Typhoon Yagi and Tropical Storm Trami, have resulted in over 1,000 fatalities in East Asia. While typhoons are typically recognized as damaging summer phenomena, autumn typhoons can also be particularly potent, taking unusual paths and interacting with cold air to produce extreme wind and rainstorms. Zhu Dingzhen, chief of the public weather service at the China Meteorological Administration, shared these insights with state broadcaster CCTV.
The peripheral circulation from Kong-rey, combined with cold air from northern China, is expected to bring rainfall of up to 180mm (7.1 inches) from Thursday evening through Friday, as reported by local media. The forecast indicates extreme rainfall, with hourly precipitation potentially reaching 70mm.
In addition to Shanghai, China’s national forecaster has issued rainstorm warnings for parts of southeastern and eastern provinces, including Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu. Zhejiang has issued a typhoon warning and suspended some train services, while Fujian has raised its emergency response levels in light of anticipated floods and storms.
