BEIJING — A super typhoon that forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights veered north of Taiwan on Friday and headed toward China, where officials issued a red alert along coastal areas.
Typhoon Lekima is expected to hit Zhejiang Province in eastern China on Saturday, and possibly veer north toward Shanghai, where cruise ships have been asked to delay their arrival. Multiple flights were canceled and ticket sales for some trains to and from the region have been halted.
City and county governments in northern Taiwan canceled work and classes Friday in anticipation of heavy rainfall and strong winds. With the typhoon tracking toward the capital, Taipei, and other major cities in the area, shoppers cleared the shelves of grocery stores of fresh produce in anticipation of being stuck indoors for the day.
But Thursday night’s lashings of heavy rains had diminished to relatively light intermittent showers by Friday morning as Lekima veered north, heading toward China.
[Typhoon, cyclone, or hurricane? Same storm, different name.]
China’s National Meteorological Center predicted that the typhoon would hit the mainland early Saturday before turning north. On Friday morning, the center also issued its second-highest warning of heavy rainstorms in the Yangtze River Delta region, which includes Shanghai.
China’s red alert is the most serious of its four possible typhoon warnings, and authorizes officials to order evacuations, suspend train and air travel and force ships back to port.
Multiple flights out of cities, including Shanghai and Hangzhou, were canceled on Friday in anticipation of the heavy rains. Several trains heading to and from the Yangtze River Delta region out of Beijing were also canceled.
The authorities in the eastern province of Shandong said torrential flooding was likely in parts of the province for several days, adding that the downpours would also help ease drought concerns and replenish reservoirs.
The maritime safety authorities in Hangzhou said that starting on Thursday, 244 passenger ships had suspended service and that 432 ships carrying hazardous materials had entered sheltered waters.
The provincial authorities in Jiangsu Province said operations were underway to increase drainage of major lakes and ports in the region to bring down water levels before the rainstorms, according to local media reports.
Forecasters predicted that heavy rain and gale force winds would hit Shanghai late Friday and continue until Sunday. The Shanghai Daily reported that 16,000 people were being evacuated. Shanghai residents were seen using tape to reinforce windows.
More than 25,000 tourists were evacuated on Thursday from Putuo Mountain, southeast of Shanghai, according to local media reports.
