China’s eastern coast was battered on Sunday by the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit the country this year, bringing with it relentless rain and intense winds.
Before reaching China, Typhoon Dolphin had already caused havoc in Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, where it injured six individuals and led to power outages affecting over 50,000 buildings.
The typhoon made its landfall near Yuhuan in eastern Zhejiang province on Sunday evening, according to reports from China’s meteorological officials.
At the time of landfall, the storm’s maximum sustained winds reached 151 km/h near its core, categorizing it as a Category 1 hurricane under the Saffir-Simpson scale.
In preparation, authorities had evacuated offshore workers, commanded ships to return to port, and heightened inspections of reservoirs, mountain streams, and landslide-prone zones, along with construction sites and tourist areas.
One million people evacuated, others left stranded
Torrential rain is forecast through 10 August across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu. Parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive 250-500 mm of rain, according to forecasters.
After landfall, Dolphin is forecast to track westward before slowing over central and southwestern China and gradually losing strength, Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, told state broadcaster CCTV.
That could prolong heavy rain and raise the risk of flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous areas and along smaller rivers.
Transport was widely disrupted across the east of the country, and more than one million people were evacuated from their homes.
In addition to evacuating at least 30,300 people, Shanghai has cancelled about 1,500 flights, according to flight-tracking data provider VariFlight.
A 42-year-old tourist from Guangdong said he was stranded in Shanghai after his family’s flight, scheduled to depart on Sunday, was cancelled due to Typhoon Dolphin.
He said the family had been rebooked on a flight at 10pm on Monday, although they were unsure whether it would be able to take off.
“To us Guangdong people, this typhoon is as ordinary as having a meal and feeling the wind. It’s just part of everyday life,” he said, adding that the storm did not appear particularly strong by the standards of China’s southern coast.
In neighbouring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou relocated more than 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters.
In Fujian province, authorities evacuated 98,900 people from high-risk areas after raising the typhoon emergency response to Level 3, according to Xinhua. Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu have also activated Level 3 emergency responses.
Fujian maritime authorities said 55 coastal passenger ferry routes had been suspended, all 115 offshore construction projects had been halted, and 290 construction vessels had been moved to sheltered waters.
The water resources ministry said the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could see major flooding, while smaller rivers in the hardest-hit areas could rise above warning levels.
Authorities warned of a high risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang, while residents in areas covered by a red mountain-torrent warning were told to follow local evacuation orders.
Shanghai’s Yangshan port cleared ships from its berths and moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelter ahead of Dolphin, the city’s maritime safety administration said.
Scientists say global warming has made extreme weather more likely, including stronger typhoons.