WENZHOU — More than one million people were evacuated across eastern China as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province, bringing torrential rain and strong winds that disrupted transport and raised the risk of flooding and landslides, authorities and state media said.
Dolphin, the strongest tropical cyclone to strike China so far this year, made landfall near Yuhuan in eastern Zhejiang on Sunday with sustained winds of about 151 kph, according to weather authorities. The storm later weakened as it moved inland, but heavy rainfall continued to threaten parts of eastern and central China.
Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang, relocated more than 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters, according to local authorities cited by Reuters. Fujian province moved about 98,900 people from high-risk areas, while Shanghai had evacuated more than 200,000 residents from vulnerable locations by Sunday evening.
The storm caused widespread disruption in Shanghai, where more than 1,500 flights were canceled as authorities prepared for heavy rain and strong winds. Ferry services and other transport operations were also suspended in affected coastal areas. Shanghai's Yangshan port moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to sheltered waters, the city's maritime safety administration said.
Rainfall intensified after Dolphin's passage. A weather station in central Shanghai recorded nearly 313 millimeters of rain in the 24 hours to Monday morning, the highest 24-hour total at that location in more than 150 years of records, while another station recorded nearly 400 millimeters, according to weather authorities cited by the Guardian.
China's authorities warned that continued rainfall could cause river levels to rise and trigger flooding and geological disasters. The Ministry of Water Resources said several rivers, including the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang, faced risks of significant flooding, while authorities in Zhejiang urged residents in areas under severe mountain-torrent warnings to follow evacuation orders.
By Monday, Dolphin had weakened to a tropical storm, but forecasters continued to warn of heavy rain across Zhejiang, Shanghai and neighboring provinces as the system moved farther inland. Authorities maintained heightened emergency measures while monitoring rivers, flooding and landslide risks.
