By Blessing Nweke
Typhoon Dolphin has brought torrential rain, powerful winds and widespread flooding to eastern China, disrupting daily life in Shanghai and forcing more than one million people to evacuate from vulnerable areas.
The storm made landfall Sunday in Zhejiang province with maximum sustained winds of about 151 kilometers per hour, making Dolphin the strongest tropical cyclone to hit China so far this year. Although it weakened after moving inland, the storm continued to dump heavy rain across several provinces.
Shanghai was among the hardest-hit areas. Streets in parts of the city were submerged, with floodwater reaching knee depth in some neighborhoods. Authorities suspended or restricted nonessential activities and public services in several affected areas as emergency crews responded to flooding. More than 1,300 flights were canceled in Shanghai, severely disrupting air travel.
The storm also triggered large-scale evacuations across eastern China. More than 900,000 people were relocated in Wenzhou, while about 215,000 residents were evacuated in Shanghai. Authorities warned that continued rainfall could increase the risk of flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas.
Meteorologists said Dolphin’s effects could continue even after the storm weakened, with heavy rainfall expected farther inland. Provinces including Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong and others remained under weather alerts as the system moved northwest.
Emergency officials urged residents to remain cautious, avoid flooded roads and follow evacuation instructions. The storm has highlighted the continuing risks posed by increasingly severe weather events across parts of Asia, where extreme rainfall can quickly overwhelm urban drainage systems and transportation networks.
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