Typhoon In-Fa made landfall in Eastern China on Sunday, causing the evacuation of more than 100,000 people, the cancellation of flights in and out of Shanghai and the halting of business operations, according to state media.
In-Fa landed in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, at 12.30 p.m, local time, with a maximum wind force of 38 meters (125 feet) per second, the China Meteorological Administration said. Local authorities ordered schools, markets and businesses to close, and relocated more than 100,000 people, with forecast rainfall of 10 inches (25.5 centimeters) to 14 inches, media reported.
In neighboring Shanghai, all inbound and outbound flights scheduled on Sunday for the city’s two airports, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport, were canceled. High-speed trains in and out of the city will be suspended from 7 p.m., and some metro lines have already suspended service, according to railway authorities and the city government.
The tropical storm will make landfall again in Zhejiang province’s Jiaxing city and Shanghai’s Pudong financial district later on Sunday, the National Meteorological Center said. As of 5 p.m., the typhoon was still in Zhoushan. Heavy rain is expected in northern Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and parts of Anhui in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Yangshan Port evacuated hundreds of vessels as the wind force off the coast reached up to 102 kilometers per hour and will continue to strengthen, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the port’s bureau of maritime affairs. All large container ships were evacuated in the early Saturday.
The typhoon follows last week’s historic flooding in central Henan province where at least 63 people died, according to Xinhua. The death toll includes 12 people who were killed after subway trains were flooded in the capital Zhengzhou. The city of more than 10 million is reeling from record rainfall, with a year’s worth of precipitation in just three days.