BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Rumbia, the 18th this year, made landfall at around 4:05 a.m. Thursday in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, bringing torrential rains and packing winds of up to 23 meters per second, or 82.8 km per hour, at its eye, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

The tropical storm is expected to gradually wane as it keeps moving northwest at a speed of 30 km per hour, the center said.

China's national weather observatory on Thursday morning issued a blue alert for typhoon Rumbia. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.