Typhoon Ewiniar, appears to be weakening as it moves northward and will likely stay out at sea bypassing Shanghai.

The eye of the storm was 470 km from the coastline of Shanghai at 2 PM Sunday and is predicted to pass by the city at around midnight, according to the municipal meteorological observatory.

Ewiniar is forecast to come no closer than 300 km to Shanghai but will still manage to bring heavy rain and winds of 40 to 90 kmper hour to the metropolis. Ships and boats have been ordered to return to harbor ahead of the typhoon.

The municipal government also required some low-lying areas of the city to prepare for possible floods.

Typhoon Ewiniar formed on July 1 in the Pacific, east of Philippines.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2006)