FUZHOU, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – As heavy rains and flooding spread through eastern China, Typhoon Dolphin prompted authorities to escalate their flood response efforts across multiple provinces. In Fujian Province, approximately 167,900 residents were evacuated from vulnerable land and coastal zones by 7 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, in Shanghai, roughly 215,600 people from high-risk areas had been relocated by late Sunday. Dolphin made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Sunday before heading inland and gradually weakening.
During the storm, Fujian authorities suspended 686 passenger routes and 658 train services. They also shut down 234 major tourist sites and canceled numerous cultural and tourism events. In Shanghai, over 900 flights at the city’s main airports were canceled on Monday due to the storm. Heavy rainfall led to localized flooding and disrupted public transit. These measures were taken in response to widespread weather warnings across coastal regions exposed to Dolphin’s winds and rain.
Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, reached Zhejiang on Sunday with powerful winds, making landfall near Yuhuan in Taizhou around 5:30 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 42 meters per second, roughly 151 kilometers per hour. The storm made another landfall in Zhejiang before moving further inland, bringing heavy rainfall to Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other parts of eastern China as it continued to weaken.
Storm subsides after Zhejiang landfalls
By 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dolphin’s center had reached Huanggang in Hubei Province. The National Meteorological Center classified the system as a tropical storm and issued a blue typhoon warning. The storm’s outer circulation carried maximum winds of 18 meters per second, with a central pressure of 995 hectopascals. Moving west-northwest at about 15 kilometers per hour, Dolphin continued to produce heavy rainfall across several provinces well beyond its initial coastal landfall area.
On Monday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Hubei, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong, while maintaining a Level III alert in Zhejiang as officials monitored rivers and flash flood-prone zones. The government allocated 120 million yuan for Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi to support rescue operations, temporary shelters, hazard mitigation, safety inspections, and repairs to flood-affected homes.
Inland flood response efforts intensify
Forecasts for Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday predicted heavy rain across a wide area of eastern and central China. The affected regions included Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, and Hebei. Beijing and Tianjin also remained within zones expecting significant rainfall. Rainfall totals could reach 250 to 350 millimeters in parts of southwestern Shandong and central and eastern Henan. Strong winds persisted along sections of the eastern coast, nearby seas, the Yangtze River estuary, and Hangzhou Bay.
Authorities continued monitoring smaller rivers, mountainous areas, and communities vulnerable to flooding as Dolphin moved further inland. The 167,900 evacuation figure relates specifically to Fujian Province, not the entirety of eastern China. Shanghai reported an additional 215,600 evacuations, and Zhejiang conducted large-scale relocations before the storm’s arrival. Although Dolphin had significantly weakened from its Zhejiang landfall by Tuesday morning, its circulation was still producing heavy rainfall across central and eastern parts of China.