In brief
Typhoon Dolphin struck eastern China this week, prompting the evacuation of over a million people from Shanghai and surrounding provinces. Authorities halted flights, suspended ferry routes and shut major tourist sites as torrential rains and strong winds battered coastal cities. Despite the storm’s downgrade to a tropical cyclone, red‑alert warnings continue for severe flooding and landslides through Wednesday. The event unfolded against a backdrop of El Niño conditions, amplifying the storm’s intensity and extending its reach across the western Pacific.
Chinese authorities have removed more than a million people from their homes in eastern China, including the financial capital Shanghai, after Typhoon Dolphin slammed into the region.
The storm brought heavy rain, halted transportation across the area and forced nearly one thousand flights in Shanghai to be cancelled on Monday.
Although meteorological officials have downgraded Dolphin to a tropical storm, warnings of torrential rains, severe flooding and landslides remain in force through Wednesday as the storm moves north.
Dolphin recorded a maximum wind speed of 150 km per hour when it first struck Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at 17:30 local time on Sunday. It then made a second landfall on Wenzhou an hour later.
Heavy rain forecasts target the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai for Monday.
Officials have closed major tourist attractions, including Disneyland, Legoland and the Bund’s viewing platforms, and urged residents to avoid outdoor activities.
Ground‑floor businesses in Shanghai’s French Concession were flooded, and residents were seen wading through ankle‑deep water. An incident involving a nine‑year‑old boy from Wenling, Zhejiang, who went missing after being swept out to sea, has been reported, though no casualties have been confirmed.
Local governments offered emergency shelter to hundreds of thousands of residents: Wenzhou relocated about 900,000 people and opened more than 1,000 shelters, while Taizhou evacuated 390,000 households. In Zhejiang’s capital Hangzhou, parking fees were waived in public spaces to accommodate those seeking refuge.
Maritime authorities in Fujian suspended dozens of passenger ferry routes and halted over 100 offshore construction projects.
Typhoon Dolphin travelled over 6,000 km before making landfall, giving it a lifespan roughly three times that of an average typhoon. It is noted for its large circulation area and intense rainfall potential.
The storm’s impact reached beyond China. Dolphins heavy rains extended to the Philippines, northern Taiwan and Okinawa, causing casualties and affecting transport infrastructure in those regions.
The event illustrated the heightened risk of tropical weather during a strong El Niño year, which researchers associate with the increased intensity of typhoons in the western Pacific.
