Rabat – Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province in eastern China on Sunday, causing authorities to evacuate more than 1 million people from their homes.
Before weakening to a tropical storm, Dolphin hit Yuhuan in Zhejiang with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometers per hour, making it the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year.
Even though the storm has weakened, its rain bands continued to affect Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong on Monday.
More than 1 million people were evacuated across eastern China ahead of the storm. Wenzhou in Zhejiang relocated more than 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters.
In Fujian province, nearly 99,000 people were moved from high-risk areas, while ferry services and construction activities were suspended.
Streets in the suburban Jiading and Qingpu districts were flooded, with water reaching knee height in some areas.
According to earlier reports, Sunday’s flight cancellations totaled 1,300 flights, while Shanghai’s two airports canceled a total of 943 flights on Monday, reducing capacity by nearly 40%, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The storm also disrupted transport across the region. Emergency responses were raised to Level III in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Fujian and Jiangsu, while authorities warned of flooding and landslides. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue, with some areas forecast to receive as much as 500 millimeters of rain.
Dolphin had earlier passed through Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, where six people were injured, and widespread power outages were reported.
As the system moves inland, authorities are continuing to monitor rivers and areas at risk of flooding and other weather-related hazards. Dolphin is expected to continue bringing heavy rain as it moves through central parts of China.
