Air traffic in Shanghai remained normal, at least for now, despite dozens of flights having been canceled this morning in the city's two airports as Typhoon Wipha is about to hit Shanghai with gales and torrential rains.

More than 20 flights flying out or coming into the city's Hongqiao Airport have been canceled around 8am today.

The canceled flights covered destinations such as Beijing and Guangzhou.

However weather conditions seem stable now, though the airport may consider an emergency plan if conditions get worse.

Workers at Pudong Airport also told Shanghai Daily that everything seemed fine up until now.

The regional air traffic administration said yesterday that it would update air carriers and the two airports every 30 minutes with weather conditions and advise on whether to postpone or cancel flights.

Besides flights, more than 70 trips were canceled in Shanghai's three major long distance transport stations amid continuous rainfall since 1am yesterday. The city also stopped ferry services between downtown and Chongming Island and all water trips to neighboring Zhejiang Province.

By 9am today Typhoon Wipha was around 300 kilometers away from Shanghai and moving northwest at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour. It is expected to hit Shanghai this afternoon with torrential rains of up to 100 millimeters.

(Shanghai Daily by Lydia Chen September 20, 2007)