Typhoon Pulasan drenches Shanghai

People in raincoats ride electric bicycles in Shanghai on Friday. Battered by heavy rainfall due to the impact of Typhoon Pulasan, the 14th typhoon this year, Shanghai experienced continuous downpours throughout the day, with accumulated precipitation reaching severe levels in its eastern and southern regions. (YIN LIQIN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)

Shanghai finds itself in the grip of a prolonged spell of inclement weather as the aftermath of Typhoon Pulasan continues to unfold, following its landfall on Thursday night, marking the city's second typhoon encounter in a week. With the impending convergence of cold air from the north, residents are bracing for further challenges amid heavy downpours and disruptions.

Pulasan, the 14th typhoon of the year, made its presence felt with a maximum wind force of 23 meters per second near its center, striking Fengxian district at 9:45 pm on Thursday, after its initial landfall earlier in Zhoushan's Daishan county in Zhejiang province. The storm's impact has been significant, exacerbating the already fragile conditions in the aftermath of Typhoon Bebinca, the year's 13th typhoon, which ravaged Shanghai just days prior.

The relentless downpours unleashed by Pulasan have inundated Shanghai, with heavy to severe rainfall affecting the entire city. Particularly hard-hit areas — Pudong and Fengxian districts — have borne the brunt of the storm, with Situan town in Fengxian experiencing exceptionally severe rainfall, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Service.

Notably, Pengzhen Water Station in Nicheng town, Pudong, recorded 308 millimeters of rainfall in six hours, while the Yangjiazhai Meteorological Observatory Station in Situan tallied 327.7 mm of rainfall during the same period, marking a historical deluge not witnessed since 1978, the Shanghai Meteorological Service said.

The repercussions of the torrential rainfall have been swift and widespread, prompting the suspension of classes in 334 schools across Shanghai, the city's education authority said. Beyond the city limits, neighboring cities in Jiangsu province, including Changzhou, Wuxi and Jingjiang in Taizhou, have taken preemptive measures by suspending classes to safeguard the well-being of students in the wake of Pulasan's trajectory, local flood control officials said.

As Pulasan gradually weakens and moves northeastward, Shanghai has witnessed a gradual subsiding of winds and rains as of late Friday. However, the meteorological department has issued warnings of an impending resurgence of downpours over the weekend, fueled by the lingering effects of Pulasan and the convergence of cold air from North China, heightening concerns over potential flooding and disruptions in the Yangtze River Delta region.