SHANGHAI — China halted port operations and ferry services along parts of its eastern coast on Saturday as Typhoon Dolphin approached, with authorities warning of heavy rain, flooding and landslides ahead of the storm's expected landfall late Sunday or early Monday.
China designated Dolphin an orange-category typhoon, the country's second-highest warning level, and raised its emergency response to level III as the storm moved toward the coast, according to authorities. The National Meteorological Center forecast landfall between Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province, with winds near the center expected to reach 38-45 meters per second.
Zhejiang raised its coastal typhoon alert to the highest level and suspended port operations, while authorities in eastern and southern China halted ferry services and ordered fishing vessels back to port. Construction work was also suspended in some areas as officials prepared for potentially dangerous conditions.
In Shanghai, vessels were cleared from Yangshan port by late Friday as a precaution, while some rail services across the Yangtze River Delta were scheduled to be suspended from Sunday. Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang said it would suspend all flights on Sunday.
Ningbo authorities also closed schools and other educational facilities for the weekend and suspended water-based activities, while about 800 ships were docked at the city's port, according to local authorities cited by the Associated Press.
Forecasters warned that eastern Zhejiang could receive more than 600 millimeters of rain, while rainfall of 200-400 millimeters was forecast in some areas of eastern China over several days. Authorities have cited the risk of flooding and landslides as the storm approaches.
Dolphin was also disrupting transport in Japan after striking Okinawa on Saturday. Japanese authorities reported six injuries, including five elderly people in Okinawa, while power outages affected more than 50,000 buildings across Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures. Airlines cancelled flights serving affected areas.
China's authorities were continuing preparations for the storm's arrival, with the latest forecast indicating landfall on the country's east coast between late Sunday and early Monday.
