Local residents walk on a waterlogged road in rain in east China's Shanghai, Aug. 24, 2015. Shanghai witnessed gales and rainstorms since Sunday night under the influence of the approaching typhoon Swan. (Photo: Xinhua/Yuan Jing)
Shanghai was well and truly drenched yesterday as Typhoon Goni whisked its way along China's east coast en route to Japan.
The heaviest rains were recorded in Jiading, Minhang and Qingpu districts, all of which issued red-level storm alerts — the highest possible — before 10am.
According to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, as of noon, almost 300 of the city's 542 weather stations had reported more than 50 millimeters of rain, with a third of those seeing 100mm and a handful reporting 200mm or more. The highest reading, of 223mm, was reported at a station in Minhang.
The downpours caused more than a few problems on the city's transport network.
Traffic authorities said that 64 road underpasses were forced to close as waters rose as high as 1.2 meters.
Flood control authorities said that more than 200 roads were significantly affected by the heavy rains, while officials from 100 residential complexes in Jiading, Qingpu, Minhang reported incidences of homes being flooded.
The residents of a community in Jiading said that their underground parking area had become submerged in more than 1 meter of murky water.
Problems were also reported on the subway system, as huge ponds of water formed at the entrances and exits to several stations.
At East Xujing station on Metro Line 2, staff piled up sandbags to prevent water spilling into the stairwells and shut down elevators as a precautionary measure.
Outside, passengers waded through puddles and scrambled along security railings to get to and from their trains.
Across Shanghai, sanitation workers scrambled to keep the waters down. According to official reports, more than 18,000 men and women were dispatched to lift 25,000 manhole covers to aid the drainage of roads and to clear detritus that was blocking drainage grilles.
While the rest of the week will remain cloudy and overcast, the worst of the rain should now be over, forecasters said.
Typhoon Goni is expected to make a landfall on the western coast of Japan's Kyushu island this morning, before moving on into the Sea of Japan.
