Typhoon Dolphin battered eastern China with torrential rain and high winds, prompting authorities to evacuate more than one million people, ground hundreds of flights, and paralyze transport systems across major commercial hubs like Shanghai.
Typhoon Landfall and Wind Speeds in Zhejiang
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening, packing maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometers per hour near its center, according to state media reports cited by CNBC. After moving ashore south and west of Shanghai, the powerful storm weakened into a tropical storm while its massive rain clouds continued pushing inland. Video footage shared on social media captured lashing rain and powerful winds that flipped over a truck in Zhejiang’s Wenzhou district, though local authorities did not immediately report on the driver’s condition.
Severe Flooding and Flight Groundings in Shanghai
Shanghai, China’s second most populous city, experienced widespread street flooding that inundated commercial centers and suburban neighborhoods such as Jiading and Qingpu. Residents waded through knee-high murky water as continuous rainfall overwhelmed municipal drainage systems. According to state broadcaster CCTV, the city’s two main airports cancelled a total of 943 flights, reducing aviation capacity by nearly 40 percent on Monday. China Eastern Airlines announced plans to resume flights to Shanghai and Zhejiang in an orderly manner as conditions allowed. In the Jinshan district, local authorities advised non-essential businesses, outdoor events, and transit services to suspend operations temporarily.
Inland Spread and Beijing Rain Warnings
As Dolphin tracked further inland toward the central provinces of Hubei and Henan, its sprawling cloud system interacted with northern cold air masses. Capital authorities in Beijing raised torrential rain warnings, preparing to activate official flood control responses. Municipal forecasters warned of significant rainfall through Thursday, accompanied by heightened risks of flash floods in urban areas and potential landslides in surrounding mountainous terrain. State media noted that Dolphin’s expansive life cycle and 6,000-kilometer travel distance drew comparisons to Typhoon Doksuri, which caused severe destruction across the region in 2023.
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