Flights back as typhoon hangs off Shanghai

Typhoon Chanthu brought high winds and rain to the country's largest city and the surrounding region, but not at the level it would have if it had made landfall.

The storm has been weakening and on Tuesday was lingering about 225km east of Shanghai, packing maximum sustained winds of 126km/h, the China Meteorological Association said.

It was due to begin moving northeast toward South Korea and Japan on Thursday.

Shanghai on Monday had suspended flights, trains and subway services, and closed schools and offices in anticipation of the storm's arrival. Around 100,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas, according to state media.

Chanthu drenched Taiwan with up to 13cm of rain on Sunday as the storm's centre passed the island's east coast, before heading north to Shanghai.

The storm grazed the island of Luzon in the Philippines last week, but no flooding or damage was reported.

Typhoons are called hurricanes or cyclones in other parts of the world, but are the same weather phenomenon.

Australian Associated Press