Shanghai downgrades alert as rainstorm eases
A man rides through the rain on Friday morning when Shanghai is affected by Typhoon Kong-rey.
Shanghai downgraded its rainstorm alert from orange to yellow at 11am as the rainfall intensity is expected to gradually ease this afternoon, according to local weather authorities.
In China's four-color weather warning system, blue is the lowest-level alert, followed by yellow, orange, and red, with red being the most severe.
The city has been hit by downpours since Thursday as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches.
Kong-rey's eye was 115 kilometers southwest of Wenling, Zhejiang Province, at 11am on Friday, with wind speeds of up to 83 kilometers per hour. It is expected to move northwest at a speed of 40 kph, according to the National Meteorological Center.
A policeman in Minhang District directs traffic during Friday's heavy rain.
Its intensity has weakened to a tropical storm at 9am this morning.
It is predicted to make second landfall at the coast of Wenling this afternoon, and move northeast.
Some of the scenic areas in suburban districts shut down under the influence of rainstorm and gales, including Dongtan Wetland Park, Pujiang Country Park, the Jinshan City Beach of Shanghai and Langxia Country Park.
Despite some inbound flights being diverted and minor delays at the two airports in Shanghai, the overall operations of both airports remained stable on Friday morning, with no massive delays or flight cancellations, according to aviation data provider Variflight.
Shanghai police have further increased street patrols and standby forces since yesterday, adopting methods such as additional patrols at key intersections and road segments, ensuring safe and orderly road traffic.
Since last night, police officers have helped deal with 14 waterlogged place on roads.
Weather is expected to turn cloudy during the upcoming weekend with mercury ranging between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius.
A police officer in Fengxian District helps drain flooding.
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