Millions of residents were affected as a rainstorm hit a large swathe of eastern China on Tuesday, flooding downtown areas and snarling traffic.

The storm, triggered under the influence of Typhoon Fitow, continued to strike Shanghai and Zhejiang province, forcing both to raise the rainstorm alarm to the highest level of red on Tuesday morning.

In the 12 hours up to 11 am on Tuesday Shanghai reported average rainfall of more than 100 millimeters, while on the outskirts of the city 200 mm fell.