Typhoon Dolphin, the strongest storm to hit China this year, made landfall on the country’s east coast on Sunday, bringing torrential rain and strong winds. The storm has already caused damage in Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings.
Dolphin made landfall near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at around 5:30pm local time, with maximum sustained winds of 94mph near its centre. The storm has prompted evacuations, flight cancellations, and increased checks at reservoirs, mountain streams, and landslide-prone areas.
Authorities have evacuated at least 30,300 people, with Shanghai cancelling about 1,500 flights. Offshore workers have been moved to safety, and vessels have been ordered back to port. The storm is forecast to bring heavy rain to several provinces, including Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu, with parts of central and eastern Zhejiang expected to receive 250-500 mm of rain.
The storm is expected to track westward before slowing over central and south-western China and gradually losing strength. However, this could prolong heavy rain and increase the risk of flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous areas and along smaller rivers.
Transport has been widely disrupted across the east of the country, with more than a million people evacuated from their homes. The storm has also caused disruptions to daily life, with a 42-year-old tourist from Guangdong saying he had been stranded in Shanghai after his family’s flight was cancelled.
In neighbouring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou has relocated more than 900,000 people and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters. Fujian province has also evacuated 98,900 people from high-risk areas. The water resources ministry has warned of major flooding in several rivers, and authorities have issued an alert for the risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang.
Scientists say global warming has made extreme weather more likely, including more powerful typhoons.
