Typhoon Doksuri hammers China, bringing floods and landslides to southeast
- It is the most powerful typhoon to hit Fujian province in more than 70 years, leading to evacuation of 124,400 residents
- Storm expected to bring extreme rain to Beijing and neighbouring areas, possibly rivalling 2012 downpour that left 79 dead
As it moves north and deeper inland, the storm will bring extreme rainfall to Beijing and its neighbouring provinces, affecting 130 million people, according to the National Meteorological Centre.
On Saturday evening, the centre upgraded an orange alert for rainstorms to a red alert, the highest in China’s four-tier weather warning system. It is the second rainstorm red alert issued since the system was set up in 2010. The previous red alert was issued in 2011.
Doksuri is the most powerful typhoon to hit Fujian since meteorological records began in 1950. It is also the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China this year, according to Fujian Daily.
When Doksuri hit the city of Jinjiang at 9.55am on Friday, the maximum sustained wind near the centre was about 50 metres per second (164 feet per second).
