Typhoon Dolphin forces mass evacuations across eastern China as storm weakens
The strongest storm to make landfall in China this year has triggered widespread transport disruptions and emergency shelter openings, with forecasters predicting prolonged rainfall as the system moves inland.
Typhoon Dolphin, the most powerful storm to strike China this year, has made landfall in eastern provinces with sustained winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour, prompting the evacuation of more than one million residents. The system, which originated as a tropical depression in the Central Pacific on July 26, has caused significant disruption across Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Fujian provinces, bringing heavy rain, flooding, and landslides to densely populated areas.
Authorities have opened over 1,000 emergency shelters to accommodate displaced populations. In Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou relocated more than 900,000 residents, while Taizhou evacuated approximately 390,000 people. Shanghai evacuated at least 30,300 individuals, with residents reporting severe inundation on social media platforms. Fujian province evacuated around 98,900 people from high-risk zones after raising its typhoon emergency response to Level III.
Transport networks have been severely impacted by the storm’s passage. Approximately 1,400 flights were cancelled from Shanghai on Monday, representing roughly 40 percent of the city’s air traffic. Ferry services have been suspended across multiple routes, and maritime authorities in Fujian halted 115 offshore construction projects while moving 290 vessels to sheltered waters. Shanghai’s Yangshan port cleared ships from its berths and relocated more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels ahead of the storm’s arrival.
The National Meteorological Centre has issued warnings regarding major flooding in several river systems, including the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao, and Shuiyang rivers. Forecasters expect between 250mm and 500mm of rain in parts of central and eastern Zhejiang. Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the centre, told state broadcaster CCTV that Dolphin is forecast to track westwards and slow over central and southwestern China, a movement that could prolong heavy rainfall and increase the threat of geological disasters in mountainous areas.
As the storm moves inland, it has weakened to a remnant low. Prior to reaching China, Dolphin impacted Japan, where it injured six people and cut power to 50,000 buildings, and Taiwan, where it suspended ferry services and cancelled flights. In the Philippines, the storm triggered landslides and flooding that displaced 12,000 people. The system, named after Hong Kong’s Chinese white dolphins, is expected to continue dissipating over the coming days.
