[Quick News] Typhoon Bavi Gathers Strength, Bringing More Wind and Rain to City

Typhoon Bavi got stronger overnight, and its landfall point just shifted north – a change that means more wind and rain for Shanghai.

Bavi intensified from a typhoon to severe typhoon strength overnight, with sustained winds now reaching 42 meters per second near its center – roughly force 14, the range where trees are uprooted and buildings take structural damage.

As of 5am today, the storm sat about 560 kilometers southeast of the Fujian-Zhejiang border.

Landfall is now expected in the early hours of Sunday – pushed back from an earlier forecast of tonight – somewhere along the coast between Taizhou, in neighboring Zhejiang Province, and Fuding, in southeast China's Fujian Province near the Zhejiang border.

That's a shift north from the previous forecast, which had it coming ashore further south, between Fuqing, Fujian, and Wenling, Zhejiang.

That shift matters for Shanghai. Forecasters said the farther north Bavi lands, the harder Shanghai will be hit – so this update points toward a tougher weekend than earlier expected, even though the city won't take a direct hit.

Shanghai's weekend weather: wind before rain

Saturday brings cloudy skies with scattered showers and highs of 27-32 degrees Celsius.

- This morning: southeast wind at force 5, gusting to 6-7 – strong enough to turn an umbrella inside out and make small branches sway. Coastal and riverside areas see force 5-6, gusting to 7.

- From midday: force 6, gusting to 7-8 across the city – walking into it becomes real work, and loose objects start moving on their own.

Coastal and riverside areas jump to force 7, gusting 8-9, where small trees can bend and unsecured items – patio furniture, flower pots, signage – can go flying.

- Offshore, near where Bavi actually makes landfall, wind is far more severe: forecasters expect gusts of 15-16 near the storm's core, equivalent to force 12-14 sustained winds – the range capable of snapping mature trees and tearing roofs off poorly secured structures.

Bring in anything on a balcony or windowsill before tonight.

The good news: this doesn't last. Once Bavi clears out, high pressure builds back fast. By July 14-15, highs return to 35-36 degrees Celsius, right as Shanghai enters this year's "fu tian" (伏天) – the traditional hottest stretch of summer, running an extra-long 40 days. A rain spell hits July 16-17, but the humidity won't let up.

Flights: nearly 1 in 5 canceled today

Shanghai's two airports are cutting almost 20 percent of today's flights.

- Pudong Airport: 300 flights canceled.

- Hongqiao Airport: 87 flights canceled.

- Hangzhou Airport: 52 flights canceled today, 8 more tomorrow.

Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Juneyao and Spring Airlines have all canceled flights on routes touching Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan, and are waiving change and refund fees for affected tickets bought earlier this week. Passengers should check their airline's app directly – phone lines are jammed.

Trains suspended across the Yangtze River Delta

Rail operators are pulling trains off dozens of lines connecting Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu between today and Monday, staggered by route and region.

That includes several Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed lines suspending service tomorrow and Monday, and lines running into Zhejiang and Fujian suspending as early as today.

Ticket holders can get fee-free refunds through the 12306 app or at station counters, valid up to 30 days after the original travel date.

Yangshan Port shut down

The last ship in port, a Danish-flagged vessel, sailed out Thursday night at 8:30pm. More than 100 gantry cranes at Yangshan have lowered their booms to cut wind resistance, and the port has gone fully dark – no ships, no vehicles, no workers on site.

Pudong moving 105,000 people

The Pudong New Area is relocating about 105,000 people ahead of the storm – most of them workers from 709 active construction sites, plus residents from low-lying areas and older, higher-risk housing.

Crews have finished inspecting 58 kilometers of Huangpu River flood walls and 116 kilometers of seawalls, including checks around Shanghai Disney Resort and the riverfront. Since Wednesday, the district has drained more than 50 million cubic meters of water through its sluice gates to make room for what's coming.

Emergency crews on standby

Shanghai has put 12,000 firefighters and more than 1,300 vehicles on alert, with specialized flood and high-altitude rescue teams pre-positioned in low-lying and coastal areas. The city's property management hotline, 962121, is running 24/7 with extra staff to handle maintenance calls.

Beyond Shanghai

The storm has triggered a red wave warning for the southern East China Sea, with waves up to 14 meters, and an orange storm surge warning for Shanghai's coastal waters. Zhejiang and Fujian have raised their ocean disaster emergency response to the second-highest level; Shanghai is at level four.

Further south, Fuzhou has urged residents to stay off the roads unless necessary, and Ningde, in northeastern Fujian, is suspending work, school, production and markets citywide starting midday today until the danger passes.