More than a million evacuated, 1,500 flights canceled: Typhoon Dolphin hits China
The powerful typhoon reached China's east coast with winds of 151 km/h and heavy rains. In Shanghai alone, more than 30,000 people were evacuated and operations at the Yangshan port were halted. Authorities are warning of floods and landslides.
Typhoon Dolphin, the strongest tropical storm to hit China this year, reached the country's east coast on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds. Authorities have issued warnings regarding floods and landslides and ordered the evacuation of over a million people, Reuters reported.
The typhoon made landfall near the city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang province around 17:30 local time. At the time of impact, wind speeds in the center of the storm reached 42 meters per second (approximately 151 km/h), equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Authorities have evacuated workers from offshore platforms, ordered vessels to return to port, and increased inspections of reservoirs, mountain streams, construction sites, and tourist areas.
Flood risks and transportation disruptions
Heavy rainfall is expected today across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and most of Jiangsu province. Forecasters predict between 250 and 500 millimeters of rain in central and eastern Zhejiang.
Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, told state broadcaster CCTV that the storm's slow movement could prolong the heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous regions and along small rivers.
Transportation across eastern China has been severely disrupted. In Shanghai alone, at least 30,300 people were evacuated, and approximately 1,500 flights were canceled, according to flight tracking data from VariFlight. Many travelers remain stranded as the resumption of airport operations remains uncertain.
Emergency response measures
In neighboring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou has evacuated over 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters. In Fujian province, 98,900 people were evacuated from high-risk areas after authorities raised the typhoon alert to Level 3.
Maritime authorities in Fujian reported that 55 passenger ferry lines have been suspended, 115 maritime construction projects halted, and 290 construction vessels moved to protected waters. At the Yangshan port in Shanghai, vessels were cleared from docks as a precaution.
China's Ministry of Water Resources has warned that the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao, and Shuiyang rivers could rise significantly. Residents in areas under a red alert for flash floods have been ordered to comply with all evacuation directives.
