At least 1.6 million people have been evacuated in eastern China as Typhoon Dolphin battered the region with winds exceeding 150 kilometers per hour, according to state media and meteorological reports published on August 10, 2026. The storm made landfall Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in Yuhuan, Zhejiang province, before tracking inland and weakening into a tropical storm by Monday morning, bringing record rainfall to Shanghai and widespread travel disruptions.
Typhoon Dolphin Landfall and Wind Speeds
Typhoon Dolphin struck the coast of Yuhuan in Zhejiang province with maximum sustained winds of roughly 151 kilometers per hour (42 meters per second), according to the National Meteorological Center cited by AGI. The system made a second landfall just over an hour later in the city of Yueqing with winds dropping to 38 meters per second before moving further inland. By Monday at 5:00 a.m. local time, the storm’s center sat in Qingyuan county, Zhejiang, where forecasters officially downgraded it to a tropical storm.
Ahead of the impact, Chinese authorities issued a red alert—the country’s highest warning level. State broadcaster CCTV reported that Dolphin traveled roughly 6,000 kilometers along its path, maintaining its structure for over three times the duration of an average typhoon. While the storm weakened as it moved inland, meteorologists warned that residual precipitation could trigger severe floods and landslides across multiple provinces.
Mass Evacuations Across Zhejiang Province
Local governments relocated at least 1.6 million residents from high-risk areas across eastern China to municipal shelters. In Wenzhou, roughly 900,000 people moved into more than 1,500 emergency shelters, according to reports by Il Post. An additional 390,000 residents evacuated their homes in Taizhou. In Hangzhou, the provincial capital, authorities suspended public parking fees to let motorists secure their vehicles away from flood zones and high winds.
Rainfall totals in parts of Zhejiang are projected to reach between 250 and 500 millimeters. Precipitation is also testing emergency infrastructure in the neighboring provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu.
Aviation Paralysis and Regional Impacts
Transportation networks across eastern China suffered extensive cancellations as the typhoon approached major hubs. Shanghai Pudong International Airport operated at just 1% capacity on Monday with 429 flights grounded, while Hongqiao International Airport operated at 2% capacity with hundreds of additional cancellations, according to flight-tracking data cited by AGI. Airports in Hangzhou and Ningbo reported similar disruptions, with Ningbo reporting 0% of normal operations.
Before hitting mainland China, Dolphin impacted neighboring territories. In the Philippines, monsoon rains linked to the storm system caused eight deaths and displaced over 7,000 people in evacuation centers. In Okinawa, Japan, residents sustained injuries, including three who fell due to high winds, and more than 50,000 buildings experienced power outages. In Hong Kong, warm air masses pushed temperatures to a record 36.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Social Media Disinformation Crackdown
Chinese police arrested two individuals for allegedly spreading fabricated content regarding the typhoon on social media platforms. According to CCTV, a 60-year-old man used artificial intelligence to generate a fake video depicting a person falling from a Shanghai building, while a 32-year-old man manipulated storm footage to exaggerate weather conditions online.
Emergency response teams remain deployed across Zhejiang to distribute relief supplies and assess structural damage. Authorities have not reported any confirmed deaths in mainland China linked directly to the storm, though search operations continue for a nine-year-old boy reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters in Wenling.