BEIJING: Parts of China are preparing for a fresh tropical storm, just days after the country’s eastern seaboard, including Shanghai, was hit by the strongest typhoon it had seen in decades.
Starting late Thursday (Sept 19), Typhoon Pulasan is expected to make landfall in coastal areas, threatening to disrupt transport and roil production in a key economic hub.
Northern Zhejiang, Shanghai, southeastern Anhui and southern Jiangsu province will be affected, according to a report from China Meteorological Administration.
Zhejiang province has activated its emergency response in anticipation of the storm, the 14th of the year.
Meanwhile, torrential rainfall is forecast in provinces including Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui through Friday, as the tail end of Typhoon Bebinca passes over the region, the weather bureau said.
Known as Beibijia in China, the storm caused widespread flight cancellations and evacuations earlier this week.
A succession of storms has lashed China and Southeast Asia within a matter of weeks, with Super Typhoon Yagi claiming more than 140 lives and leaving a trail of damage to crops and infrastructure last week.
Typhoon season in the northern Pacific Ocean typically lasts from May to October.
Warming oceans and moister air - two results of global warming - mean storms are getting more intense, though not necessarily more frequent, according to scientists.
China’s weather bureau warned in a separate report that floods could damage low-lying rice and corn fields, adding that strong winds could blow over some fruit trees and damage greenhouses and fishing facilities.
In the country’s northeastern grains belt, frost is threatening corn and soybeans while high precipitation could hinder growth and facilitate crop diseases in northern and northwestern areas, according to the report. - Bloomberg
