BEIJING – Typhoon Kong-rey weakened into a tropical storm overnight and was expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Shanghai and other parts of China’s east coast on Friday.
The storm crossed Taiwan at typhoon strength on Thursday, toppling trees and causing landslides that covered roads and damaged homes. Two people died and more than 500 were injured.
Authorities in Hualien province on Taiwan’s east coast said they had reestablished contact with a Czech couple feared missing. The two had set up a tent in Taroko National Park and were in good condition, according to the official Central News Agency.
Kong-rey, which has a Cambodian name, was heading northeast along the Chinese coast and could make landfall Friday afternoon in Zhejiang province before heading out to sea again, the National Meteorological Center said.
The storm is expected to affect Shanghai and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, with torrential rain that could dump 10 to 12 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) of water in some areas.
Zhejiang and neighboring Fujian province suspended several ferry routes ahead of the storm.
Light rain was falling in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on Friday morning, while across the island, many schools and offices had reopened and public services had largely been restored.
The typhoon passed north of the Philippines earlier in the week, prompting fresh evacuations just days after devastating Tropical Storm Trami killed at least 145 people the previous week.
Heavy rains caused in part by Trami also killed seven people in China’s Hainan province as the storm passed by the island, known for its beach resorts, off the country’s southern coast.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
