After striking eastern China, Typhoon Dolphin lost intensity, but the storm still caused major disruption, with widespread rain, nearly 1,000 flight cancellations in Shanghai, and evacuations affecting more than 1 million people across eastern China, Agence France-Presse reported (via CTV News). Authorities warn that the threat from heavy rain and flash flooding is not over.
What happened?
Typhoon Dolphin came ashore twice on the Zhejiang coast on Sunday before weakening.
Even after downgrading its typhoon warning to the lowest level, China's National Meteorological Centre said parts of eastern and central China could still see heavy rain.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that officials issued the highest flash flood alert for sections of eastern and southern Zhejiang on Monday, according to AFP.
The largest evacuations were concentrated in the hardest-hit coastal areas. CCTV said more than 900,000 people were relocated in the port city of Wenzhou, where authorities also opened more than 1,500 emergency shelters. Xinhua news agency reported additional evacuations of more than 150,000 people in Fujian province and more than 200,000 in Shanghai.
On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that Beijing was still under the second-highest rainstorm warning level of orange, while hundreds of bus routes were put on hold.
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Why does it matter?
Heavy rainfall can trigger flash floods, landslides, power outages, road closures, and contamination of water supplies.
In cities with busy ports and airports, those disruptions can extend beyond the storm zone.
Stronger storms and heavier rainfall can damage homes and infrastructure, raise health risks tied to flooding, and strain local economies that depend on transportation, tourism, and reliable access to utilities and public services.
In Beijing, authorities have evacuated or sent away more than 1,300 tourists, while over 5,000 senior residents were transferred from care facilities, per The Guardian.
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Typhoon Dolphin also arrived after Typhoon Noul struck southern Guangdong province, AFP noted. Before Dolphin made landfall, Noul was the strongest storm to hit China this year. Back-to-back severe weather events can make recovery more difficult.
In the meantime, Chinese authorities have mounted a broad emergency response focused on early evacuations, shelter capacity, and continuing weather warnings.
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