Over a Million Relocated as Typhoon Dolphin Hits Eastern China

More than a million people were moved to safety across eastern China by Sunday evening as powerful Typhoon Dolphin made landfall amid fears torrential rain would cause flooding and landslides.

Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, said it relocated more than 900,000 people and opened more than 1,500 emergency shelters. In neighbouring Fujian, 98,900 people were moved from high-risk areas.

In Shanghai, 215,600 people were moved from areas considered at risk by Sunday evening, substantially higher than an earlier figure of 30,300.

A weather station in central Shanghai recorded nearly 313mm of rain in the 24 hours to 7am on Monday, its highest 24-hour rainfall in more than 150 years of records. Another station in the city recorded nearly 400mm. The hashtag “Shanghai turns into the sea” began trending on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, as videos circulated showing streets flooded around the Wukang Mansion, one of the city’s best-known tourist landmarks.

The average rainfall recorded across Zhejiang from Friday evening to Monday morning reached 173mm, reportedly surpassing the levels seen during previous major typhoons including Lekima and Bavi.

Dolphin weakened rapidly to a tropical storm by 5am on Monday. But as the storm continued to move northwards and farther inland, heavy rain was forecast across large parts of eastern and central China, extending north into Shandong and affecting Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Authorities maintained an orange alert for heavy rain and warned that days of intense rain could trigger widespread flooding and landslides through Wednesday, urging people to stay indoors during the heavy downpours. Forecasters in China predicted some areas could see 200-400mm (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the coming days.

The storm forced Shanghai’s two airports to cancel more than 1,300 flights. Public transport services, including many local trains, have been suspended in the financial hub.

Zhejiang’s Ningbo international airport, about 150km south of Shanghai, will resume flight operations from midday (0400 GMT) on Monday. But the airport warned some journeys may yet be delayed or cancelled.

Provincial capital Hangzhou resumed subway services on Monday morning, after halting some train operations on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Dolphin fuelled intense heat over Hong Kong on Sunday, pushing the city to its highest ever temperature of 36.9C. The extremely hot weather was expected to continue into Tuesday, officials said.

In Taiwan, ferry services were suspended and more than 180 flights were cancelled as the storm brought downpours and strong winds on Sunday.

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

In the Philippines, the typhoon did not make landfall in the country’s north but intensified the seasonal monsoon rains, which flooded many areas of the main northern Luzon region, including around Manila.

Scientists say global warming has made extreme weather more likely, including more powerful typhoons.