TAIPEI, Taiwan -- China braced Thursday for heavy rains as Tropical Storm Podul made landfall in several southern provinces and thousands of people were evacuated.

Typhoon Podul weakened to a severe tropical storm when it roared ashore in southeastern China early Thursday, state media said, after carving a path across Taiwan, shutting down businesses, grounding flights and knocking out power to thousands of homes.

Typhoon Podul brings heavy rain to southern China after injuring scores in Taiwan - Typhoon forces nearly 8,000 people from homes in Taiwan before making another landfall in China