FUZHOU, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – Typhoon Dolphin prompted the evacuation of approximately 167,900 residents in Fujian Province as intense rainfall and flooding spread throughout eastern China. The residents displaced in Fujian were moved from vulnerable land and coastal zones by 7 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, Shanghai had separately evacuated about 215,600 people from areas deemed at risk by late Sunday. Dolphin made two landfalls in neighboring Zhejiang Province on Sunday before continuing inland and gradually weakening.
Fujian authorities halted 686 passenger routes and 658 train services as part of the storm response. They also closed 234 major tourist sites and canceled numerous cultural and tourism events. In Shanghai, over 900 flights at the city’s two main airports were canceled on Monday by airlines. Heavy rainfall caused flooding in parts of the financial hub and disrupted public transit. These measures followed widespread weather alerts across coastal regions vulnerable to Dolphin’s winds and precipitation.
Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, reached Zhejiang with formidable winds on Sunday. It made landfall near Yuhuan in Taizhou around 5:30 p.m., packing maximum winds of 42 meters per second, approximately 151 kilometers per hour. The storm made a second landfall in Zhejiang before progressing further inland. Its expansive circulation resulted in heavy rainfall across Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other eastern parts of China as the storm diminished in strength.
Storm weakens after Zhejiang landfalls
By 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dolphin’s center had reached Huanggang in Hubei Province, central China. The National Meteorological Center classified the system as a tropical storm and maintained a blue typhoon warning. Its outer circulation carried maximum winds of 18 meters per second, with a central pressure of 995 hectopascals. The storm was traveling west-northwest at about 15 kilometers per hour. Heavy rain persisted across several provinces well beyond Dolphin’s initial coastal landfall area.
On Monday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Hubei, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong. A Level III response remained in effect in Zhejiang as officials monitored rivers and areas prone to flash floods. Additionally, central authorities allocated 120 million yuan to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi to support rescue operations, temporary shelters, hazard mitigation, safety inspections, and repairs for flood- and typhoon-damaged homes.
Inland flood response efforts expand
Forecasts for Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday predict heavy rainfall across a broad swath of eastern and central China. The regions expected to be affected include Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, and Hebei. Beijing and Tianjin also remain within the zone of intense rain. Predicted rainfall totals reach 250 to 350 millimeters in some parts of southwestern Shandong and central and eastern Henan. Strong winds continue along sections of the eastern coast, nearby seas, the Yangtze River estuary, and Hangzhou Bay.
Authorities maintained vigilance over smaller rivers, mountainous areas, and communities vulnerable to flooding as Dolphin moved further inland. The 167,900 evacuation figure pertains specifically to Fujian Province, not the entirety of eastern China. Shanghai also reported another 215,600 evacuations, and Zhejiang carried out extensive relocations prior to the storm’s arrival on the coast. By Tuesday morning, Dolphin had significantly weakened from its Zhejiang landfall strength, yet its circulation still contributed to heavy rainfall across central and eastern China.