Shanghai is grappling with its most severe typhoon in 75 years as Typhoon Bebinca made landfall early Monday morning. Striking the coastal Lingang New City area at approximately 07:30 local time (23:30 GMT), Bebinca has triggered widespread evacuations and major disruptions across China’s financial hub.
The storm, deemed the strongest to hit Shanghai in decades by Chinese state media, prompted the evacuation of over 400,000 residents from the metropolitan area by Sunday evening. An additional 9,000 people were relocated from Chongming District, an island at the Yangtze River’s mouth.
Authorities have issued a red alert—the highest warning level—as wind speeds reached up to 151 km/h (94 mph) near the typhoon’s center. Shanghai’s two main airports suspended all flights, train services were canceled, highways were closed, and a 40 km/h (25 mph) speed limit was enforced on city roads.
Residents of Shanghai, home to 25 million people, were advised to remain indoors. The city’s flood control headquarters reported numerous incidents related to the typhoon, including fallen trees and billboards. Popular destinations, including Shanghai Disney Resort and Jinjiang Amusement Park, have been temporarily shut down, and many ferries have been suspended.
Typhoon Bebinca follows Typhoon Yagi, which recently struck Hainan Island, causing four deaths and injuring 95 people. Yagi also led to severe flooding across Southeast Asia, claiming hundreds of lives in Vietnam and Myanmar.
Having previously affected Japan and the central and southern Philippines, Typhoon Bebinca is forecasted to continue moving northwest, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.
