Trami downgraded to tropical storm after landfall

A cleaner clears up the road by which the bamboos are blown down by wind at Guping Road in Fuzhou City, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 22, 2013. Trami, the 12th tropical storm hitting China this year, landed at 2:40 a.m. in Fuqing City of the province, packing strong winds of 35 meters per second at the storm center, according to the Fujian provincial meteorological observatory. (Xinhua/Peng Zhangqing)

Trami, the 12th typhoon to hit China this year, was downgraded to tropical storm status as it moved further inland after making landfall in southeast China's Fujian province Thursday morning.

Trees lining the streets in Fuqing City were toppled, knocking down power lines and causing blackouts in several of Fuqing's rural townships.

No casualties have been reported.

The city took early precautions against the storm by relocating 6,000 people from homes in low-lying areas and calling 2,329 vessels to harbor.

The storm has swept across Fujian, where winds of 126 km per hour were measured at the eye of the storm at 2:40 a.m. on Thursday. The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm at 5 a.m. when winds slowed to 100 km per hour as it moved toward Jiangxi Province.

The Fujian provincial meteorological station warned that Trami's landfall coincided with high astronomical tide. Heavy downpours and high tidal bores are likely to linger in coastal cities.

Trami's power was also felt in the tidal bore of the Qiantang River in eastern Zhejiang Province, known as the world's largest tidal bore.

Local observation stations monitored massive waves as high as 3.8 meters, which crashed along the banks of the river near the city of Haining, setting the highest record in a decade.