Tropical storm Songda to menace China's eastern cities but spare Shanghai

BEIJING, July 30 (Reuters): Chinese weather forecasters on Saturday said a tropical storm threatening to hit Shanghai was now very likely to miss the financial hub, but warned of wind gusts and downpours in eastern industrial cities as it churned northwards off the coast.

Songda was 450 km (280 miles) east of Qidong city, Jiangsu province, just north of Shanghai on Saturday morning, and was expected to move on a northwest path at 20 kph, the National Meteorological Center said.