China prepares for another typhoon after Bebinca heads east

SHANGHAI – Parts of China are preparing for a fresh tropical storm, just days after the country’s eastern seaboard, including Shanghai, was

hit by the strongest typhoon

it had seen in decades. 

Starting on Sept 12, Typhoon Pulasan is expected to make landfall in coastal areas, threatening to disrupt transport and roil production in a key economic hub.

Northern Zhejiang, Shanghai, south-eastern Anhui and southern Jiangsu province will be affected, according to a report from China Meteorological Administration. Zhejiang province has activated its emergency response in anticipation of the storm, the 14th of the year.

Meanwhile, torrential rainfall is forecast in provinces including Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui through Sept 20, as the tail end of Typhoon Bebinca passes over the region, the weather bureau said. Known as Beibijia in China, the storm caused

widespread flight cancellations

and evacuations earlier this week.

A succession of storms has lashed China and South-east Asia within a matter of weeks, with

Super Typhoon Yagi claiming more than 140 lives

and leaving a trail of damage to crops and infrastructure last week. Typhoon season in the northern Pacific Ocean typically lasts from May to October. 

Warming oceans and moister air – two results of global warming – mean storms are getting more intense, though not necessarily more frequent, according to scientists.

China’s weather bureau warned in a separate report that floods could damage low-lying rice and corn fields, adding that strong winds could blow over some fruit trees and damage greenhouses and fishing facilities.

In the country’s north-eastern grains belt, frost is threatening corn and soya beans while high precipitation could hinder growth and facilitate crop diseases in northern and north-western areas, according to the report. BLOOMBERG