Staff members secure aircraft at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport to prepare for Typhoon Dolphin on August 9, 2026. Photo: VCG
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on Sunday afternoon, bringing strong winds up to 42 meters per second and heavy torrential rain to the coastal regions amid a red alert - the highest level in the country's typhoon warning system - issued for it earlier that day.
Authorities in East China's Fujian have relocated nearly 100,000 residents, while coastal provinces are suspending railway services and canceled flights, making an all-out effort to mitigate possible risks.
The NMC maintained orange rainstorm and blue severe convective weather alerts at 6 am on Sunday, forecasting exceptionally heavy rainfall of 250 to 440 millimeters in some areas along the eastern coast of Zhejiang, with heavy to torrential rains expected across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui between Sunday morning and Monday morning, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
In response to the typhoon, China's meteorological authority on Sunday upgraded its emergency response for severe meteorological disasters from Level III to Level II.
Fujian raised the emergency response level for typhoon prevention to Level II at 9 am on Sunday.
As Typhoon Dolphin gathers strength and approaches the coastal areas, Fujian's flood control authority, as of 6 pm on Saturday, deployed a total of 17,800 officials to and relocated 98,900 people from high-risk areas, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.
Fujian has suspended all 115 marine engineering projects and moved 290 construction vessels to safe waters, while 55 passenger ferry routes in affected waters have been halted, chinanews.com reported.
Meanwhile, railway services in the affected regions including Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai have also been suspended from Sunday to Monday, according to chinanews.com.
Fujian authorities have urged stronger safety measures for returning vessels, offshore platforms and coastal and island tourism, as well as reinforcement of aquaculture facilities. They also called for timely evacuations from flood- and landslide-prone areas to guard against secondary disasters from the typhoon and heavy rain, chinanews.com reported.
In Zhejiang, Wenzhou city has closed all 85 A-level national tourist attractions, turned away more than 7,400 visitors and evacuated over 1,600, with the relocation effort ongoing, according to CCTV. Next, Wenzhou will next implement a "five suspensions" policy, halting outdoor group activities, classes, work, business operations and transportation.
All fishing vessels at Shitang Fishing Port in Wenling, Zhejiang, have returned to port, with all personnel evacuated ashore and maritime rescue teams on standby. Authorities urged vessels to stay off the sea during the typhoon.
In Shanghai, Pudong and Hongqiao airports operated at reduced capacity on Sunday, with nearly 60 percent of flights canceled. A total of 1,384 flights are scheduled to be canceled including 871 at Pudong and 513 at Hongqiao. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates and adjust travel plans accordingly, according to CCTV.
According to Hu Xiao, meteorological analyst at the NMC, the typhoon has several notable features, including its strong intensity and expansive circulation. The typhoon also has several unusual features. Forming unusually far east, near 180°E, it has traveled more than 7,200 kilometers, making its potential landfall in China a rare event and possibly the easternmost such landfall since 1951. Its 12-day lifespan is also well above the typical seven-to-10-day average, CCTV reported.
According to Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Typhoon Dolphin traveled a long distance and remained at typhoon or severe typhoon strength of its lifespan so far. Despite passing through some areas that were unfavorable to its development, its powerful inner core remained intact, while its extensive cloud system continued to absorb moisture and energy, fueling the potential for torrential rainfall.
The typhoon has remained at sea for more than 260 hours and experienced a rare "three rises and three falls" in intensity. Its unusually long lifespan has allowed it to absorb more moisture and energy, while repeated intensity fluctuations have complicated forecasts of its future track and intensity of wind and rainfall, according to CCTV.
After landfall, Typhoon Dolphin may move slowly, prolonging heavy rainfall and raising the risk of extreme precipitation and related disasters. Its track later in the week remains uncertain as it could interact with the southwest monsoon and cold air from the northwest, potentially broadening and intensifying its impacts, Ma told the Global Times on Sunday.
