Tropical Storm Dolphin triggers China’s highest weather alert as million evacuate eastern provinces
The National Meteorological Center activates a red alert while authorities manage mass evacuations and transport disruptions across Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Fujian.
Tropical Storm Dolphin made landfall in Yuhuan, Zhejiang province, late on Sunday as a typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour, prompting the National Meteorological Center to activate a red alert, the highest level in China’s typhoon warning system. The storm, identified as the strongest to hit China this year, has brought torrential rain and severe weather to eastern provinces, leading to the evacuation of more than one million residents across Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Fujian.
As the system weakened into a tropical storm while moving inland, it continued to affect Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong. Forecasters predict heavy rainfall will persist through Wednesday, with parts of central and eastern Zhejiang expected to receive between 250mm and 500mm of rain. The volume of precipitation has raised concerns regarding severe flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas surrounding Beijing, where authorities have raised warnings for significant rainfall from Tuesday until Thursday.
Transport networks have faced substantial disruption as a result of the storm’s impact. Shanghai’s two airports cancelled 943 flights, reducing capacity by nearly 40 percent, according to state broadcaster CCTV. In response to the worsening conditions, authorities have urged residents to work from home and avoid going outside where possible, while emergency services remain on high alert for potential infrastructure failures.
The scale of the evacuation effort has been significant, with more than 900,000 residents relocated in Wenzhou alone. State media reported that approximately 100,000 people were evacuated in Shanghai and 99,000 in neighbouring Fujian province. Search and rescue crews in Wenling, Zhejiang, are currently searching for a nine-year-old boy who was swept into the sea during the storm, highlighting the immediate dangers posed by the rising waters and strong winds.
Looking ahead, the storm is forecast to move deeper inland into the central provinces of Hubei and Henan in the coming days, while also pushing moisture northward. Authorities in Beijing are prepared to activate its flood control response on Tuesday morning as the capital braces for the risk of flash floods and landslides in surrounding areas. The continued movement of the system underscores the ongoing challenge for local governance in managing widespread environmental risks.
