TAIPEI – Typhoon Chanthu drenched Taiwan with heavy rain Sunday as the storm’s center passed the island’s east coast heading for Shanghai.
On the Chinese mainland, the government issued a typhoon warning for Shanghai and warned of possible torrential rains.
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Airline flights and train service in Taiwan were suspended Saturday as the storm approached. The Central News Agency reported more than 2,000 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of the east coast county of Hualien.
At midday Sunday, Chanthu’s center was about 70 kilometers (45 miles) off Taiwan's northeast coast, with winds of 162 kph (101 mph) and gusts up to 198 kph (124 mph), according to the Central Weather Bureau.
Up to 13 centimeters (5 inches) of rain fell Sunday in some areas, the Weather Bureau said. It said up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) was forecast.
Heavy rain also fell on Taipei, the capital, and other parts of the island.
Chanthu is forecast to head north and dump rain on Shanghai before turning east toward South Korea and Japan, the Weather Bureau said.
The airport in Ningbo, south of Shanghai, canceled 41 flights, official media reported. News reports said some 3,400 fishing boats returned to port and 20,200 people who work at fish farms were moved out of flood-prone areas.
Earlier, the storm grazed the island of Luzon in the Philippines, but no flooding or damage was reported.