[Quick News] Shanghai Shuts Parks, Ferries and Attractions as Typhoon Bavi Closes in

Shanghai is closing parks, waterways and major tourist attractions as Typhoon Bavi nears landfall within hours.

Typhoon Bavi was centered near the Diaoyu Islands by 2pm today, about 490 kilometers southeast of Pudong's Nanhuizui.

The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 40 meters per second, powerful enough to uproot trees and shatter windows.

Landfall is now expected late tonight into early tomorrow morning, somewhere between Wenling and Pingyang on the neighboring Zhejiang coast, at typhoon to severe typhoon strength.

After coming ashore, Bavi is forecast to track northwest through Zhejiang into Anhui Province, passing roughly 300-350 kilometers from Shanghai by tomorrow night.

Shanghai's weather and alert level

Shanghai's meteorological bureau raised its typhoon warning to yellow this afternoon, the second-lowest of the city's four-tier system (blue, yellow, orange, red).

The city's flood and typhoon emergency response was raised to Level 3 of four, with Level 1 being the most severe.

Officials say wind, not rain, remains the main threat – and both forecasts ticked up slightly Saturday. Coastal and riverside areas are already seeing gusts of force 8.

From tonight through tomorrow afternoon, expect:

- Force 8-10 gusts across most of the city – strong enough to snap branches and send unsecured objects flying.

- Force 9-11 near tall buildings, along rivers and lakes, and on the coast – where standing steady without support gets difficult.

- Force 11-12 at Yangshan Port – the range where structural damage begins.

Winds ease starting Sunday night. Rain will be patchy: some areas could see storm totals of 80-140 millimeters, with hourly rates up to 60 millimeters at the heaviest.

Parks and attractions closing

Public parks across the city began closing this afternoon and evening as a precaution:

- Hongkou, Baoshan, Jing'an, Yangpu, Putuo and Changning districts have closed all local parks, along with Changning's outer-ring greenway. Closures took effect between 5pm and 6pm and will lift once conditions improve.

- Century Park and Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park have also closed for the day.

- Shanghai Tower suspended its Top of Shanghai Observatory, café, Sky Art Space and AI Dream exhibit Saturday afternoon, with no reopening date yet announced. The tower said anyone caught in the storm near Lujiazui is welcome to shelter inside.

Check official social media accounts before heading out – more closures are possible as the storm nears.

Ferries and waterways suspended

Starting at 5:20am today, ferry service to Shanghai's three outlying islands stopped entirely, with boats moved to sheltered harbors.

Two Chongming bus routes tied to the ferry crossings, Shenchong Line 7 and Hengchang Line, also stopped running.

By 2pm, all of Shanghai's inner-city river ferries had suspended service. To keep cyclists and pedestrians moving across the Huangpu River, the city activated non-motorized-vehicle crossing plans at the Dalian Road, Fuxing Road, Yindu Road and Changjiang Road tunnels.

The Huangpu River sightseeing cruise stopped running at 9:47am.

Getting around

- Highways: Speed limits citywide remain capped below 60 km/h.

- Metro: Elevated and ground-level sections of Lines 2, 5 and 16 and the Pujiang Line began running at reduced speed at 6pm Saturday. Operators say restrictions could expand, with possible partial suspensions through Monday.

- Flights: Shanghai's two airports have canceled nearly 400 flights today. Hangzhou has canceled 198. Nationwide, 56 airports are affected through Tuesday; Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Taizhou and Lishui airports have canceled all flights today.

- Trains: High-speed and regional lines linking Shanghai to Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu are suspending service in stages through Tuesday. Refunds are fee-free through 12306, valid up to 30 days after the original travel date.

Also closed

- 32 scenic spots citywide have closed temporarily.

- Legoland Shanghai Resort closes tomorrow, July 12. The resort hotel stays open for guests already checked in. Ticket holders for tomorrow get a free reschedule voucher valid through January 11, 2027, issued within five business days; annual passes are extended by one day.

Emergency response

As of this afternoon, about 34,000 people had been evacuated from at-risk coastal areas, including Pudong, Fengxian, Jinshan, the Lingang New Area, the chemical industry zone and Yangshan Port. The city is on 24-hour standby, with police, medical staff and utility crews all pre-positioned.

A blue high-tide warning remains active for the Huangpu River, with water at the Suzhou Creek expected to peak around 4.6 meters late at night. An orange coastal wave warning also remains in effect.