Typhoon In-fa slammed into China’s east coast province of Zhejiang on Sunday.
Residents were hunkering down in anticipation of the weather system, which was packing windspeeds of up to 137 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 155 kph (95mph).
The storm made landfall in the city of Zhoushan, south of commercial hub Shanghai, shortly after midday.
Shanghai’s two international airports have canceled hundreds of flights
Authorities shut Shanghai’s two international airports, with hundreds of flights canceled. Train services were also suspended and residents were warned to remain indoors.
Ports along the eastern coast halted operations, and container ships had to be moved from Shanghai’s Yangshan Port.
The storm hit as central China is still reeling from record flooding that killed more than 50 people and uprooted more than a million.
Typhoon expected to bring deluge
China’s Meteorological Administration predicted typhoon In-fa would weaken after making landfall. There are, however, concerns the weather system will bring heavy rainfall to the region as it moves north along the coast.
“It is necessary to be highly vigilant and prevent disasters that may be caused by extreme heavy rainfall,” the administration said Sunday.
Some of the areas hit by last week’s flooding could also be affected.
China still reeling from torrential downpours
At least 58 people were killed in the recent floods in central China, where a year’s worth of rain fell in the space of just three days.
Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan province, was among the hardest-hit areas. Dramatic footage showed commuters trapped in subway trains with rising water levels. Twelve people drowned as the city’s subways became flooded death traps.
The flooding has affected millions, and left many without food or water for days. The damage is expected to run into the billions.
Annual summer flooding is not unusual in China, although this season’s deluge is raising a number of questions, with climate change being among the key issues of concern.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Fierce flash floods in Europe
Unprecedented flooding — caused by two months’ worth of rainfall in two days — has resulted in devastating damage in western Europe, leaving at least 209 people dead in Germany and Belgium. Narrow valley streams swelled into raging floods in the space of hours, wiping out centuries-old communities. Rebuilding the ruined homes, businesses and infrastructure is expected to cost billions of euros.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Extreme rainy seasons
Record floods have also hit parts of India and China, overwhelming dams and drains and flooding the subway system in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. Dozens of people have died. The downpours have been particularly heavy, even for the rainy season. Scientists have predicted that climate change will lead to more frequent and intense rainfall — warmer air holds more water, creating more rain.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Heat records in the US, Canada
Intense heat is also becoming more common, as seen in late June in the US states of Washington and Oregon and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Scorching temperatures under a “heat dome,” hot air trapped for days by high pressure fronts, caused hundreds of heat-related deaths. The village of Lytton recorded a high of 49.6 Celsius (121 Fahrenheit) — and burned to the ground the next day.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Wildfires sparking thunderstorms
The heat wave may be over but dry conditions are fueling one of the region’s most intense wildfire seasons. Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, which has burned an area the size of Los Angeles in just two weeks, is so big it’s creating its own weather and sending smoke all the way to New York. A recent study said the weather conditions would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Amazon nearing a ‘tipping point’?
To the south, central Brazil is suffering its worst drought 100 years, increasing the risk of fires and further deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Researchers recently reported that a large swath of the southeastern Amazon has flipped from absorbing to emitting planet-warming CO2 emissions, pushing the rainforest closer to a “tipping point.”
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
‘On the verge of starvation’
After years of unrelenting drought, more than 1.14 million people in Madagascar are food-insecure, with some now forced to eat raw cactus, wild leaves and locusts in famine-like conditions. With the absence of natural disaster, crop failure or political conflict, the dire situation in the southeastern African nation is said to be first famine in modern history caused solely by climate change.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
More people fleeing natural disasters
The number of people fleeing conflict and natural disasters hit a 10-year high in 2020, with a record 55 million people relocating within their own country. That’s in addition to some 26 million people who fled across borders. A joint report released by refugee monitors in May found that three-quarters of the internally displaced were victims of extreme weather — and that number is likely to grow.
Author: Martin Kuebler
kb/nm (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/typhoon-in-fa-hits-china-s-eastern-coast/a-58629972?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf