Monster typhoon crushes China

Saomai, once a super typhoon, came ashore as a CAT 4 well south of Shanghai near the city of Xiapu, China, around 5:30 a.m. U.S. East Coast time. A million and a half people were evacuated away from Saomai's path.

The typhoon came ashore with 135-mph winds that took out power and land-based communications, a 25-foot storm surge that raked the coast and flooding rains that are further inundating an already waterlogged region. This is probably the worst typhoon to hit this part of China since 1956 when Super Typhoon #6 struck just south of Shanghai with 150 mph winds. As Saomai heads westward and rapidly weakens, flooding rains will remain a big concern.

Meanwhile, tropical activity remains at a minimum across the Atlantic Basin. The tropical wave that moved through the Lesser Antilles on Wednesday remains disorganized as it moves through the eastern Caribbean. A front off the Southeast Coast this weekend could spawn a low-pressure area that could take on tropical characteristics. The odds of development are small and it would track east or east-northeast away from the coast. An upper low in the western Gulf of Mexico offers no threat.

The Weather Channel