Typhoon Bebinca, the fiercest storm to batter Shanghai since 1949, made landfall early on Monday, September 16, 2024. This mega storm has disrupted life for the city’s 25 million residents, leading authorities to impose severe travel restrictions, and prompting significant evacuations across the region.
Bebinca touched down around 7:30 AM local time, hitting the coastal area of Lingang New City, located southeast of Shanghai. According to the China Meteorological Administration, winds reached alarming speeds of up to 151 kilometers per hour (about 94 miles per hour) near the eye of the storm, marking the swiftest winds seen since Typhoon Gloria back in 1949. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported the peak winds at around 80 mph, categorizing it as equivalent to a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane.
The impact of Typhoon Bebinca has been far-reaching. Nearly all flights at Shanghai's two international airports were grounded after 8 PM on Sunday, halting air travel just before the busy Mid-Autumn Festival, a three-day public holiday where joyous gatherings and family reunions are the norm. Ferry services, train lines, and significant roadways were also suspended, adding to the travel chaos for holidaymakers.
Authorities issued the highest alert level, the red alert, warning citizens about gale-force winds and heavy rainfall across wide swathes of eastern China, with many residents advised to remain indoors. Officials imposed strict 40 km/h (about 25 mph) speed limits on city roads, and thousands of residents were evacuated from vulnerable areas, including the Chongming District, located at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
Local media reported dozens of incidents linked to the storm, mostly involving fallen trees and property damage. Footage broadcast on CCTV showed neighborhoods battered by ferocious winds and rain, with some reporters struggling to speak against the gusty barrage. One stated, “If I step out, I can barely speak. You can see the surface of the sea is just wave after wave.”
Even with the storm approaching, Shanghai and nearby cities like Suzhou and Nanjing took precautionary measures, limiting outdoor activities and shutting down media events, including parades and large-scale construction projects. Particularly troubling is the timing of the storm, as it coincides with the Mid-Autumn festival, which is hoped to boost consumer spending amid China’s slowing economy. Residents noted grocery stores emptied rapidly as they hurried to stock up on supplies before the storm's arrival.
By the time the storm hit, more than 414,000 people had been evacuated across various areas, with school gyms and exhibition centers transformed to serve as shelters. Reports surfaced on social media of power and water outages plaguing various neighborhoods as Bebinca unleashed its fury.
Despite the significant disruption caused by Bebinca, it follows another powerful storm, Super Typhoon Yagi, which wreaked havoc just days earlier, making landfall on September 6 with wind speeds hitting 230 kph (140 mph) and claiming lives across Hainan Province and those areas it traversed.
This dramatic string of extreme weather events has spurred renewed discussions about climate change and its impact on typhoon intensity and ferocity. Experts link the rapidly warming oceans to increased hurricane activity, noting the tangible consequences of human-induced climate change—an unsettling phenomenon starting to feel all too common for regions like Shanghai.
For now, as Typhoon Bebinca moves inland, experts warn of the potential for another storm forming off the coast of Shanghai, adding to the region’s weather woes. While Shanghai braced for the storm’s ripple effects, it remains to be seen how long it will take before this resilient city returns to its usual rhythm.
