[Weather] Typhoon Saudel Makes Two Landfalls in Zhejiang

Typhoon Saudel made landfall twice within about an hour this morning in neighboring Zhejiang Province, first in Kanmen, Yuhuan, at 8:05am, then again in Longwan District, Wenzhou, at 9:10am.

Both landfalls came in at force 12 – strong enough to uproot trees, damage weaker structures and make it dangerous to be outdoors.

Saudel's first landfall struck the same stretch of coast in Kanmen that was already hit twice this year, by typhoons Bavi and Dolphin, making it the third typhoon to come ashore there in 2026.

Forecasters warned that the area around and north of the landfall points faces a dangerous convergence of high winds, heavy rain and elevated tides, as the storm surge coincides with an astronomical high tide.

China's national weather authority has raised its emergency response for major weather disasters – covering typhoons, rainstorms and severe convective weather – to Level 2.

Heavy rain is expected to spread inland over the coming days, potentially affecting nine provinces and regions – Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan, in addition to Zhejiang and Fujian.

Shanghai's weather easing through the day

Shanghai will stay cloudy to overcast today with scattered showers or thunderstorms, locally heavy in some areas.

Northeast winds will hold at force 6, gusting to force 7-8 – strong enough to snap branches and make it hard to walk steadily outdoors – reaching force 7 gusting to force 8-9 along the river and coast, powerful enough to uproot small trees and damage weaker structures.

Winds will shift easterly and ease to force 4-5, gusting to force 6, by this evening, with coastal areas at force 6 gusting to force 7-8. Today's high is forecast at 32 degrees Celsius, with humidity ranging from 60 to 95 percent.

Lightning alerts issued overnight

The Pudong New Area issued a yellow lightning alert at 3:10am today, warning of thunderstorm activity across most of the district before this evening.

Minhang issued the same yellow alert at 3:35am, warning of thunderstorm activity across most of the district over the following 24 hours. Both alerts cited a risk of lightning-related hazards.

Cooler air arrives early next week

Over the weekend, Shanghai will stay mostly cloudy to overcast under easterly airflow, with occasional brief showers and highs of 28 to 33 degrees.

A more noticeable rain event is expected early next week as cold and warm air masses meet, with highs dipping into the high 20s by midweek before edging back up toward the weekend.

With the school term starting around this time, residents are advised to keep checking the latest forecasts as they plan their week.