Typhoon Dolphin set to hit China’s east coast, triggering flood warnings

BEIJING – Typhoon Dolphin is set to make landfall on China’s east coast overnight on Aug 9, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds, as the authorities brace for flooding and landslides across a broad swathe of eastern China.

Typhoon Dolphin has already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings.

Before its landfall in China, the authorities moved offshore workers to safety, ordered vessels back to port and increased checks at reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites and tourist locations.

Dolphin will be the most powerful typhoon to make landfall in China so far in 2026.

The storm is expected to hit the coast on the evening of Aug 9 with sustained winds of up to 162kmh before weakening and moving inland, China’s National Meteorological Centre said.

That is equal to a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a storm capable of causing extensive damage to homes, trees and infrastructure.

Torrential rain is forecast through Aug 10 across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, north-eastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu. Parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive 250mm to 500mm of rain, according to forecasters.

After landfall, Dolphin is forecast to track westwards before slowing over central and south-western China and gradually losing strength, Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, told state broadcaster CCTV.

That could prolong heavy rain and raise the risk of flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous areas and along smaller rivers.

Typhoon Dolphin has triggered mass evacuations and widespread transport disruptions across eastern China, with more than one million people moved to safety.

Shanghai has evacuated at least 30,300 people and cancelled about 1,500 flights, according to flight-tracking data provider VariFlight.

A 44-year-old tourist from Guangdong, surnamed Chen, said he was stranded in Shanghai after his family’s flight, scheduled to depart on the evening of Aug 9, was cancelled because of Typhoon Dolphin.

He said they had been rebooked on a flight at 10pm on Aug 10, although they were unsure whether it would be able to take off.

“To us Guangdong people, this typhoon is as ordinary as having a meal and feeling the wind. It’s just part of everyday life,” Chen said, adding that the storm did not appear particularly strong by the standards of China’s southern coast.

In neighbouring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou relocated more than 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters as the authorities braced for the storm’s impact.

In Fujian province, the authorities evacuated 98,900 people from high-risk areas after raising the typhoon emergency response to Level 3, according to Xinhua.

Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu have also activated Level 3 emergency responses.

The Fujian maritime authorities said 55 coastal passenger ferry routes had been suspended, all 115 offshore construction projects halted and 290 construction vessels moved to sheltered waters.

The authorities warned of a high risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang, while residents in areas covered by the red mountain-torrent warning were told to follow local evacuation orders.

Shanghai’s Yangshan port cleared ships from its berths and moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelter ahead of Dolphin, the city’s maritime safety administration said. REUTERS