Severe typhoon Bebinca (2024) with a record-breaking intensity making landfall in Shanghai

Severe typhoon Bebinca (2024) made landfall in Shanghai with a maximum sustained wind of 42 m s -1 and a minimum central pressure of 965 hPa, making it as the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Shanghai since 1949. Notably, Bebinca exhibited multiple distinct characteristics, including anomalous offshore intensification during the 24-hour pre-landfall period, a slow decay rate after landfall, prolonged maintenance over land, a small size, and sustained extreme wind and precipitation across Shanghai and the adjacent provinces (Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, and Shandong). Bebinca’s intensification just before landfall and its unusually gradual weakening post-landfall posed substantial forecasting challenges, highlighting critical gaps in our understanding of landfalling TCs’ dynamics. A timely documentation of these features is crucial for refining scientific questions about intensity change in landfalling TCs and for establishing a valuable reference case for future research.