Co-May made landfall as a tropical storm in the port city of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province in the early hours of Wednesday with maximum sustained wind speeds near its centre of 83kph, Chinese state media reported.

While the winds ushered in by Co-May are weaker than those generated by typhoons, the Chinese financial hub and other cities in the Yangtze delta have taken no chances, cancelling flights and train services, suspending schools, and moving people away from areas considered risky.

Forecasters expect Co-May to make another landfall closer to Shanghai later on Wednesday.

Shanghai is rarely subject to direct hits from strong typhoons that generally make landfall further south in China. The most significant typhoon in recent years that landed directly in Shanghai was Bebinca last year, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China’s financial capital since 1949.