China issues red alert as Typhoon Dolphin threatens eastern coast
The National Meteorological Centre has issued its most severe warning as the storm approaches, bringing extraordinary torrential rain to Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shanghai.
China’s National Meteorological Centre issued a red typhoon alert on Sunday morning, marking its most severe warning level, as Typhoon Dolphin approached the country’s densely populated eastern coast. The alert forecasts extraordinary torrential rain across central and eastern Zhejiang, Shanghai, and parts of Fujian, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces, with heavy precipitation expected to continue through Monday afternoon.
In response to the impending storm, authorities have implemented significant transport disruptions to ensure public safety. Nearly 1,400 flights were cancelled at Shanghai’s two main passenger airports, while 270 flights were grounded at Hangzhou’s airport in Zhejiang province. Additionally, services on more than 200 ferry routes were suspended in Zhejiang and Fujian, and some train services in affected areas were halted on Sunday.
Preparations in Fujian province involved the relocation of approximately 99,000 people from risky areas to safer locations. The storm’s impact on infrastructure was also evident earlier in the week, with work at offshore projects halted and 474 construction vessels called to port by Friday morning.
Typhoon Dolphin is expected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday in either Zhejiang or the neighbouring province of Fujian. Following landfall, the system is projected to weaken while moving in a northwesterly direction over eastern China.
The storm has already caused disruptions in neighbouring jurisdictions. In Japan’s Okinawa island, heavy rain and strong winds resulted in minor injuries to seven people and left 5,290 households without electricity. In Taiwan, the storm brought downpours and strong winds to the island’s north, leading to the suspension of dozens of ferry services and the cancellation of more than 180 flights.
This event follows Typhoon Noul, which struck southern Guangdong province two weeks prior. That storm was declared the strongest to hit China this year at the time, having caused three deaths and hundreds of home damages in the Philippines before reaching Chinese territory.
