China Evacuates Over 1 Million As Typhoon Dolphin Brings Heavy Rain And Flooding

Chinese authorities have evacuated more than one million people from their homes in eastern China, including Shanghai, as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and widespread disruption.

The storm brought transportation services to a halt across parts of the region, with nearly 1,000 flights cancelled in Shanghai alone on Monday.

Although authorities have since downgraded Dolphin to a tropical storm, officials continue to warn of intense rainfall, severe flooding and possible landslides through Wednesday as the system moves north.

China had earlier issued its highest-level red alert for the typhoon, describing it as the strongest storm to hit the country this year.

Dolphin recorded maximum wind speeds of 150km/h (94mph) when it first made landfall near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at 17:30 local time on Sunday. It struck the city of Wenzhou about an hour later, according to meteorological authorities.

Heavy rainfall was forecast across Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Shanghai.

Authorities urged residents to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities as the storm continued to threaten densely populated areas.

Several major tourist attractions were also closed, including parts of Disneyland and Legoland, while viewing platforms along Shanghai’s Bund were shut.

State media footage showed floodwaters entering ground-floor businesses in Shanghai’s former French Concession, a popular tourist district, while residents were seen walking through flooded streets.

Chinese authorities have not reported any deaths from the storm, although state media reported that a nine-year-old boy from Wenling in Zhejiang was missing after reportedly being swept into the sea.

Forecasters warned that some areas of Zhejiang could receive between 250mm and 500mm of rainfall over the coming days.

In Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, authorities waived parking fees in public spaces to allow residents seeking shelter to park their vehicles amid strong winds and flooding.

Wenzhou authorities reportedly relocated about 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters, while around 390,000 people were evacuated in Taizhou.

In neighbouring Fujian province, maritime authorities suspended dozens of passenger ferry services and halted more than 100 offshore construction projects.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that the storm travelled about 6,000 kilometres before reaching the mainland, giving it a lifespan more than three times that of an average typhoon. The broadcaster also said Dolphin had an unusually large circulation and the capacity to produce intense rainfall.

The storm has also caused significant disruption to transportation across the region.

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have taken action over what they described as misinformation spreading online about the storm. State media reported that two people were detained for allegedly distributing misleading content.

One of them, a 60-year-old man, reportedly created an AI-generated video falsely claiming that someone in Shanghai had fallen from a building during the storm. Another man, aged 32, allegedly edited storm footage posted by other social media users in a misleading manner.

Before reaching China, Dolphin brought heavy rainfall to the Philippines, northern Taiwan and Japan’s Okinawa Island.

In the Philippines, eight people have died following heavy monsoon rains associated with Dolphin and other storms earlier in the week, according to the Office of Civil Defence. More than 7,000 people are currently sheltering in evacuation centres across the country.

In Okinawa, five elderly people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the prefectural government. Three of them reportedly fell because of the strong winds.

Hong Kong also recorded an unusually high temperature of 36.9°C on Sunday, with the typhoon pushing warm air across the city.

Typhoon season in the western Pacific generally runs from May to October, when tropical cyclones are more common.

Experts have warned that the strong El Niño conditions this year could contribute to more intense typhoons, increasing the risks posed by extreme rainfall, flooding and powerful winds.