Strengthening Typhoon Wipha churns towards Shanghai

SHANGHAI: China relocated hundreds of thousands of people on Tuesday as its most populous city Shanghai braced for Typhoon Wipha, with a meteorologist warning global warming was causing more violent storms.   

The typhoon, packing winds of 180 kilometres (112 miles) an hour, was gaining strength and expected to make landfall in east China around midnight, after gale-force winds and driving rains first swipe northern Taiwan.   

Shanghai, a city of 17 million people, and the heavily populated neighbouring provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian were on high alert as officials warned residents to get ready for the worst.   

Chinese meteorologists were particularly concerned that Wipha, which at 11:30 am (0330 GMT) was about 400 kilometres (248 miles) off shore, was becoming more powerful as it churned towards Shanghai.   

"This is the first time in 10 years that the eye of the storm will probably make landfall in Shanghai," said Ding Ruoyang, a meteorologist at the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.   

Up to 200 millimetres (eight inches) of rain was expected to pelt the city, while winds could gust above 102 kilometres an hour, prompting officials to begin an evacuation of 200,000 people.   

"The evacuation includes residents who live in old and dangerous houses, workers who live in temporary construction site structures as well as workers living near the shore," Ding said.   

As the storm approached Tuesday, the head of the China Meteorological Administration, Zheng Guoguang, warned that global warming was resulting in stronger and more lethal typhoons.   

"Due to global warming, the number of strong typhoons is increasing and more areas are vulnerable to the attack by typhoons," Xinhua quoted Zheng as saying at a conference in Beijing.   

The centre of Wipha -- a woman's name in Thai -- was 140 kilometres east-northeast of Ilan on Taiwan's northeastern coast at 12:00 pm (0400 GMT), according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.   

Taiwan curbed air travel and closed its stock exchange, while offices and schools in several northern areas of the island, including the capital Taipei, were shut as many coastal residents were moved to higher ground.   

Meanwhile, in China's Zhejiang province, the flood control headquarters warned the public to also relocate residents, patrol reservoirs and brace for mudslides.  

 Food and water were being stored, while ferry services had been suspended, and fishing vessels had been ordered back to harbour, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.   

In China's southeast, the Fujian provincial government had also issued warnings.   

Typhoons regularly hit China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea toward the end of August and September.   

Earlier this month Typhoon Fitow hit Japan, killing seven people, while on Sunday Typhoon Nari killed at least nine in South Korea.