China moves over a million people as Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall

Shanghai (GNP): Chinese authorities relocated more than one million residents across eastern China, including Shanghai, as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall over the weekend. The storm struck Yuhuan in Zhejiang province with maximum wind speeds of 150 km/h before making a second landfall near Wenzhou roughly an hour later, according to meteorological officials.

The typhoon disrupted transportation networks across the region, with 1,400 flights cancelled in Shanghai alone. Authorities had initially issued a red alert, the highest level in the national warning system, before downgrading the storm to a tropical storm status by Monday morning. Officials continue to warn of torrential rain, severe flooding, and landslide risks through Wednesday, with heavy rainfall forecast across Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.

In Shanghai, ground-floor businesses in the former French Concession district were flooded, with residents seen wading through ankle-deep water. Several tourist attractions, including sections of Disneyland and Legoland, along with viewing platforms along the Bund, remained closed as a precaution. Local governments urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity while the storm system moves inland.

Officials have not confirmed any casualties, though a nine-year-old boy from Wenling, Zhejiang, remains missing after reportedly being swept into the sea. Forecasters expect parts of Zhejiang to receive between 250mm and 500mm of rainfall over the coming days. In Hangzhou, the provincial capital, authorities waived parking fees in public spaces to give drivers shelter from the wind and floodwaters.

Wenzhou authorities relocated approximately 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters, while around 390,000 people were evacuated in the city of Taizhou. In neighbouring Fujian province, maritime authorities suspended dozens of passenger ferry routes and halted more than 100 offshore construction projects as a safety measure.

Meteorological data indicates the storm travelled roughly 6,000 kilometres before landfall, giving it a lifespan more than three times that of an average typhoon, along with an unusually large circulation size and intense rainfall capacity, according to state weather officials.

Authorities also reported that misinformation about the storm spread rapidly online, with two individuals detained for distributing false content. One case involved an AI-generated video falsely claiming a person had fallen from a building in Shanghai during the storm, while another involved misleadingly re-edited footage circulated on social media.

Also Read: Ceuta Migrants Struggle to Survive Amid Heat and Cold Nights

Typhoon Dolphin had earlier brought torrential rain to the Philippines, northern Taiwan, and Japan’s Okinawa island before reaching mainland China. In the Philippines, eight people died due to monsoon rains linked to the storm and preceding weather systems, with more than 7,000 people currently sheltering in evacuation centres nationwide, according to the Office of Civil Defence. In Okinawa, five elderly residents sustained non-life-threatening injuries, three after falling due to strong winds, according to prefectural authorities.

Hong Kong’s weather observatory recorded a temperature of 36.9°C on Sunday, as the typhoon pushed warm air over the city. Typhoon season in the western Pacific typically runs from May to October, and experts note that this year’s strong El Niño conditions may contribute to more intense storm formation in the region.