Several train services halted as Shanghai braces for Typhoon Bebinca
Shanghai is to brave strong winds and heavy rain during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday as this year's 13th typhoon, Typhoon Bebinca, is forecast to make landfall in coastal areas around the city on Monday morning, according to local meteorological officials.
The three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday will run from Sunday to Tuesday.
Bebinca's eye was 930 kilometers southeast of Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, at 11am, with wind power around its center up to 101 kilometers per hour, according to the National Meteorological Center.
It is forecast to keep moving northwest at the speed of 30-35km per hour, and enter the East Sea waters tonight.
Bebinca is predicted to make landfall in the coastal area between Taizhou in Zhejiang Province and Qidong in Jiangsu Province on Monday morning, according to NMC.
Gale-force winds and heavy rain are predicted to hit the city from Saturday night to Sunday with temperatures dropping to 28 to 30 degrees Celsius.
Some railway services from Shanghai to Kunming and Nanjing, including trains K234, Z196 and K379, will be halted due to the typhoon, according to China Railway Shanghai Group.
As of Saturday noon, Shanghai's two airports operated smoothly without massive delays.
Travelers are recommended to pay close attention to changes of schedule and weather information before planning trips.
The NMC has issued a yellow typhoon alert, the second lowest level in its four-color weather warning system.
And the city's meteorological bureau has issued a level-four emergency response, the lowest level in its four-tier system, to cope with the typhoon.