Orange level typhoon Bebinca expected to land midnight
The alert for typhoon Bebinca was upgraded to orange, the second highest level in the weather warning system, at 5pm on Sunday.
Bebinca is predicted to make landfall through coastal areas between Shanghai Pudong and Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, from Sunday midnight to Monday morning, according to local meteorological authorities.
Bebinca's center was located 435 kilometers southeast of Shanghai at 8:49am on Sunday, with a wind force of up to 144 kilometers per hour, according to the National Meteorological Center.
It will keep moving northwest at the speed of 25km per hour with its intensity increasing.
The authorities also raised the typhoon emergency response to level-one, the highest level.
A large number of flights from Shanghai's two airports have been canceled.
As of noon, Pudong Airport canceled 406 flights, and Hongqiao Airport canceled 210 flights.
Starting from 10pm Sunday, more traffic control measures will be taken, according to Shanghai traffic police.
The speed limit on the city's highways, urban expressways, and other elevated roads will be reduced to 60km per hour.
The speed limit on the Huangpu River bridges will be reduced to 40km per hour.
Large vehicles are prohibited from driving on the above-mentioned roads.
Police cars, ambulances, fire engines and engineering rescue vehicles as well as other essential supplies vehicles are exempt from those measures.