Beijing on alert as Typhoon Doksuri sweeps northwards

A swathe of northern China, including the capital Beijing, was put under alert Saturday as Typhoon Doksuri swept inland, bringing high winds and torrential rain.

Doksuri, which smashed into Fujian province on Friday morning with gusts of up to 175 kilometres per hour (110 miles per hour), is already being felt further north, according to China’s meteorological services.

Anticipating flooding, Beijing has issued an orange alert, the second-highest in the four-tier system.

Several of the city’s parks, lakes and riverside roads have been closed out of precaution, the municipal authorities announced on Saturday.

They warned the downpour could prompt even worse flooding than in July 2012, when 79 people died and tens of thousands were evacuated.

Heavy showers were reported in the capital on Saturday afternoon and are expected to last through Tuesday.

Neighbouring Hebei province, which is expecting torrential rain and gusty wind, has issued the highest level of alert in some areas.

The weather service warned that rainfall there could exceed 60 centimetres (24 inches).

In Fujian’s capital Fuzhou, authorities ordered residents not to leave their homes unless necessary on Saturday.

The coastal province of Shandong and the megacity Tianjin also felt the deluge.

Doksuri had been a super typhoon as it tore across the Pacific Ocean earlier this week, but lost some intensity as it neared the Philippines.

The typhoon killed at least 13 people in the Philippines, where it caused landslides and floods before tracking northwest to China and gradually weakening.

It still brought colossal waves and howling winds to the country’s southeast.

China has been experiencing extreme weather conditions and posting recording temperatures this summer, events that scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change.

At the beginning of July, Beijing and the surrounding region broke temperature records, with local temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).