LOCATION · China
Shanghai Typhoon Tracker & Live Weather Radar Map
Is this typhoon in the East China Sea going to turn toward Shanghai?
Shanghai is one of the world's great coastal megacities, built on the flat delta where the Yangtze meets the East China Sea — a setting that brings prosperity and exposure in equal measure. The city's weather is dominated by water: the typhoons that sweep up the Pacific coast in late summer, the long Plum Rains that soak the delta in early summer, and the flooding that threatens a metropolis sitting barely above sea level. Tracking those threats is a serious matter here, and it's exactly what the live map helps with.
In the path of the typhoons
Shanghai faces the East China Sea, downstream of the most typhoon-active ocean on the planet. Storms forming in the western Pacific frequently curve north toward the Chinese coast, and from summer into autumn the region is repeatedly threatened — sometimes by direct hits, more often by storms passing close enough to deliver damaging wind and torrential rain. For a dense, low-lying city of this size, even a glancing blow is a major event.
What makes these storms dangerous is how quickly they can strengthen. Crossing very warm water with little to disrupt them, typhoons can undergo rapid intensification, gaining strength fast in the day or two before landfall. Watching a storm's track against the warmth of the sea is an early clue to how much room it has to grow — and the coast it's aiming for.
The Plum Rains: a slow, soaking flood risk
Shanghai's other great water hazard isn't a storm at all. Each year, usually around June, the region enters the Plum Rains — the Meiyu — when a persistent rain band parks over the Yangtze basin and brings weeks of damp, grey weather punctuated by heavy downpours. It's a slow, soaking pattern rather than a single dramatic event, but the cumulative rain can swell rivers and flood low ground. For a city this size, managing the Plum Rains season is as much a part of summer as bracing for typhoons.
A city built low
Behind both hazards lies Shanghai's geography. The metropolis sprawls across the flat, low Yangtze Delta, much of it only a little above sea level and threaded with rivers and canals. Intense typhoon rain or a prolonged Plum Rains spell can overwhelm the city's drainage, and along the coast a powerful typhoon can drive storm surge against the shore. The combination of low elevation, dense development and heavy rain makes flooding a constant concern and flood defence a civic priority.
Reading it on the live map
A Shanghai typhoon or flood is best read with three layers together:
- Track the storm. Turn on the Hurricanes layer to follow a typhoon's path and watch for the turn toward the coast.
- Watch the rain. Add Radar to see the bands sweeping in — and during the Plum Rains, to follow the slow, soaking pattern over the delta.
- Read the fuel. Use Sea Surface Temperature to see the warm water feeding a storm; very warm seas give it room to intensify fast.
- Mind the surge and the cycle. Coastal areas face storm surge, as the surge guide explains, and the El Niño cycle helps set how active the western-Pacific season runs.
The hurricane layer tells you where the storm is going, radar tells you when the rain arrives, and the warm ocean tells you how strong it might get. In a megacity built on a low delta beside a stormy sea, reading the three together is how Shanghai stays ahead of the water.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shanghai get hit by typhoons?
Yes. Shanghai sits on the coast at the mouth of the Yangtze, facing the East China Sea, and typhoons tracking up from the western Pacific regularly threaten or strike the region — most often from summer into autumn. Even storms that pass offshore can lash the city with heavy rain and strong winds. Because the metropolis is huge, low-lying and dense, a serious typhoon is a major event, and the city watches the season closely.
What are the 'Plum Rains'?
The Plum Rains, or Meiyu, are a distinctive early-summer rainy period across the Yangtze region, typically in June. A persistent rain band stalls over the area, bringing weeks of damp, cloudy weather and bouts of heavy rain that can cause flooding. It's a separate flood risk from typhoons — a slow, soaking pattern rather than a single dramatic storm — and it's a defining feature of the Shanghai calendar.
Why is flooding a concern in Shanghai?
Shanghai is built on the flat, low-lying Yangtze Delta, much of it barely above sea level, with rivers and canals throughout. Intense typhoon rain or a prolonged Plum Rains spell can overwhelm drainage, and on the coast a strong typhoon can drive storm surge against the shore. The combination of low elevation, dense development and heavy rain makes effective flood management a constant priority.
How do I track a typhoon approaching Shanghai on the map?
Turn on the Hurricanes layer to follow the storm's track and forecast turn, Radar to watch the rain bands reach the coast, and Sea Surface Temperature to see the warm water fuelling it. Western-Pacific storms can intensify quickly over warm seas, so reading the track against the ocean's warmth gives an early sense of both where it's heading and how strong it may become.
SEE IT LIVE
Everything in this guide is on one real-time map.