Typhoon Dolphin floods central China, puts Beijing on alert for heavy rain

XIANGYANG – Typhoon Dolphin churned deeper inland to the central Chinese province of Hubei on Aug 11, flooding streets, forcing the closure of tourist areas and halting construction projects, as forecasters warned of extreme rainfall across a broad swathe of the country.

The strongest typhoon to hit China in 2026, Dolphin packed an unusually resilient storm system that travelled nearly 6,000 km before making landfall over the weekend, drenching the country's eastern coast and bringing with it a sprawling cloud field.

The storm’s reach has extended as far as Beijing, more than 1,000km north of Hubei.

Four districts on the capital’s outskirts activated the highest level of emergency flood responses, as the city braced for the expected onset of more than one-third of its annual rainfall over 24 hours starting late on Aug 11. 

Hubei, a major auto and high-tech electronics manufacturing hub and home to more than 58 million people, was struck by two rare tornadoes in July in the wake of Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 11 people.

In the city of Xiangyang, where Hubei authorities issued a yellow warning for landslides and floods, pedestrians waded through water-covered streets as shared electric scooters were partially submerged.

At one crossroads in heavy rain, drivers slowed down to get their vehicles through water that was more than 30cm deep while others turned around.

Sixty-year-old Huang, who had delayed her trip to buy groceries earlier in the morning due to the rain, looked at the waterlogged roads with concern.

She was worried the floods could reach the compound of her apartment building a few hundred metres away.

“This area always gets flooded when it rains. If it continues like this, the waters could reach my home,” she said.

Nearby, rainwater gushed onto a lower-lying highway from the elevated motorbike paths on either side of the road.

Authorities deployed workers in neon safety gear to remove some of the concrete and allow the water to drain faster.

At a section of another highway prone to flooding, authorities had preventively stationed a drainage truck.

Widespread torrential rain

On Aug 11, the National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for heavy rain, the second-highest warning level, with north-western Hubei expected to receive as much as 250mm of rain in a 24-hour period.

As well as Xiangyang, Hubei authorities also issued yellow warnings for cities including Huanggang and Suizhou.

As of the morning of Aug 11, water levels at 35 reservoirs in Xiangyang had exceeded flood-control thresholds, prompting authorities to relocate 9,705 people.

Scenic areas across the province have announced temporary closures, including the popular Three Gorges Dam tourist area in Yichang.

All but two of Xiangyang’s 59 major scenic spots were shut.

Of 107 major highway and waterway construction projects underway in the province, 26 projects deemed high-risk have been suspended.

Dolphin’s peripheral airflow will be forced to rise when it encounters the mountains in Hubei’s western region, causing rainfall to intensify several times over, Wang Xiaoling, deputy director of Hubei's provincial meteorological observatory, told local newspaper Hubei Daily.

In neighbouring Henan province, authorities issued a red flash-flood alert as the storm continues to channel moisture northward.

Forecasters said some areas could receive up to 350mm of rain through the afternoon of Aug 12.

Japan, which was battered by Dolphin before the storm reached China, was also preparing for landslides, flooding and strong winds after the Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon No. 15, Chan-hom, could move across Japan's mainland later on Aug 11. REUTERS