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Typhoon Lekima Threatens to Pummel Shanghai With Rain Sunday

Typhoon Lekima Threatens to Pummel Shanghai With Rain Sunday

(Bloomberg) -- A storm swirling over the Pacific Ocean east of Taiwan is threatening to become a super typhoon before weakening and dousing Shanghai this weekend with as much as 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain.

Typhoon Lekima could have top winds of 144 miles (232 kilometers) per hour, which would make it a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau has issued a sea warning.

Path of Typhoon Lekima

Typhoon Lekima Threatens to Pummel Shanghai With Rain Sunday

The system is expected to pound the coast of China’s Zhenjiang province before arriving in Shanghai as a tropical storm, said Jason Nicholls, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. Since it will approach from the south, Lekima is unlikely to hit Shanghai with much of a storm surge.

“I think Shanghai lucks out,” Nicholls said. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tina Davis at tinadavis@bloomberg.net, Joe Ryan, Christine Buurma

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