Over 1 million evacuated as Typhoon Dolphin hits China

China's eastern coast faced severe disruption, emergency evacuations, and halted transport services as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall on Sunday. Crowned as the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the country this year, the powerful storm forced the relocation of more than one million residents across the region after previously lashing Japan and parts of Taiwan.

Before reaching the Chinese mainland, the typhoon swept through Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture. The storm cut power to more than 50,000 buildings, while regional utility Okinawa Electric Power documented thousands of additional outages. Okinawa's government recorded injuries to multiple individuals, including a man aged over 100 who was blown over by gusts and hit his head, alongside other injured residents. In Taiwan, authorities suspended dozens of ferry services and cancelled more than 180 flights as outer bands impacted the northern part of the island.

Media additions

The system struck near Yuhuan in eastern Zhejiang province at approximately 5:30 pm, packing maximum sustained winds near its centre at 151 km/h, according to China's National Meteorological Centre. Meteorological authorities noted that the system carried winds equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. China's National Meteorological Centre issued a red typhoon alert, representing its most severe warning level, as extraordinary torrential rain was forecast for parts of central and eastern Zhejiang.

Emergency preparations intensified across multiple provinces. In Zhejiang, the city of Wenzhou relocated over 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters. Neighboring Fujian province evacuated 98,900 people from high-risk areas following the activation of Level III emergency responses. Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu also activated Level III emergency responses. Maritime authorities suspended numerous ferry routes—including over 200 routes across Zhejiang and Fujian according to state media, and 55 coastal passenger ferry routes specifically noted by Fujian maritime authorities—while halting offshore construction projects and ordering hundreds of construction vessels back to port. Shanghai's maritime administration cleared ships from berths at Yangshan port and moved over 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelter.

Transport networks suffered extensive paralysis. Flight-tracking data indicated that Shanghai cancelled approximately 1,500 flights, while state broadcaster CCTV reported that Hangzhou's airport in nearby Zhejiang saw hundreds of inbound and outbound flight cancellations. Train services in affected areas were also suspended to ensure passenger safety. Among the stranded travelers was a 42-year-old tourist from Guangdong, who remarked to reporters about the storm's perceived intensity.

"To us Guangdong people, this typhoon is as ordinary as having a meal and feeling the wind. It's just part of everyday life,"

Chen, tourist from Guangdong, via media reports

The tourist added that the storm did not appear particularly strong by the standards of China's southern coast, noting that his family had been rebooked on a later flight while remaining uncertain of takeoff conditions.

Meanwhile, high temperatures reached distant Hong Kong as warm air pushed ahead of the system. The Hong Kong Observatory posted a record high temperature of 36.9°C, driven by warm air pushed over the territory by Typhoon Dolphin.

Impact and Forecast Overview

• Wind Speeds: Sustained winds reached 151 km/h near the centre at landfall.
• Rainfall Expectations: Parts of central and eastern Zhejiang were forecast to receive 250 to 500 mm of rain through Monday.
• Geographical Spread: Heavy precipitation and storm effects extended across Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu.
• River Warnings: Water resources officials flagged potential major flooding risks along the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao, and Shuiyang rivers, with smaller rivers expected to rise above warning levels.

After moving inland, the cyclone was expected to track westward before slowing over central and southwestern China and gradually losing strength. Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, cautioned state broadcaster CCTV that the slowing movement could prolong heavy rainfall and heighten the risk of flooding and landslides in mountainous terrain and along smaller rivers. Scientists attribute the growing frequency of extreme weather events to human-driven climate change, noting that Typhoon Dolphin struck just two weeks after Typhoon Noul impacted southern Guangdong province.