Alert in China: Typhoon Muifa is coming – Flights are cancelled

China issued the highest warning today, as the Typhon Muifa is closing in on densely populated areas in the Yangtze River Delta, with Shanghai and other cities canceling flights and train services and suspending port operations.

All flights at Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao airports were canceled while the city of Hangzhou, southwest of Shanghai, will stop domestic flights from the evening. Flights at Zhoushan and Ningbo airports in the coastal province of Zhejiang were also canceled, while a ship-fueling hub in the same area suspended the unloading and loading of oil and ordered tankers to remain at their berths.

The Yangtze River Delta in the east China it is the most prosperous region of the country, with Shanghai, the financial and commercial capital of China, and other cities that are also important centers of industry. Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and Shanghai Port are among the busiest in the world based on the volume of cargo they handle.

Shanghai earlier issued a warning that gusty winds and heavy rain are expected through tomorrow. The metropolis of 25 million took safety measures a step further, announcing plans to reduce speeds on surface trains or even close stations while warning of train delays.

Muifa is expected to move northwest at a speed of 20-25 km/h and hit coastal areas in Zhejiang province this evening, then pass through Hangzhou Bay and reach Shanghai, forecasters said.

According to Chinese financial magazine Caixin, Muifa is the strongest typhoon in the Yangtze River Delta in a decade, which meteorologists say was caused by unusually warm weather and high temperatures in the East China Sea this year.

Zhejiang authorities have issued a “red warning” for flooding in many areas, the highest scale in China’s four-tier warning system.