A cyclist rides through heavy rain in Shanghai on August 9, 2026. Photo: VCG

As Typhoon Dolphin barrels toward China, bringing strong winds and heavy torrential rain to the coastal regions of East China over the weekend, authorities in East China’s Fujian have relocated 100,000 residents, while coastal provinces suspending railway services and canceled flights, making an all-out effort to mitigate possible risks. 

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a red alert for Typhoon Dolphin on Sunday morning, saying this year’s 13th typhoon Dolphin, which was located early Sunday morning over the southern East China Sea, about 215 kilometers east of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, packing maximum winds of 45 meters per second near its center. 

It is forecast to move west-northwest at 20 to 25 kilometers per hour and make landfall between Zhoushan in Zhejiang, most probably in Sanmen in Zhejiang, and Fuding in Fujian Province between Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing winds of up to 45 meters per second at a typhoon or super typhoon level. The storm is forecast to weaken gradually after landfall, People’s Daily reported on Sunday citing the NMC. 

The NMC maintained orange rainstorm and blue severe convective weather alerts at 6 am on Sunday, forecasting exceptionally heavy rainfall of 250 to 440 millimeters in some areas along the eastern coast of Zhejiang, with heavy to torrential rains expected across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui between Sunday morning and Monday morning, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. 

Fujian’s raised the emergency response level for typhoon prevention to Level II at 9 am on Sunday.

As Typhoon Dolphin gathers strength and approaches the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian, authorities and departments across Fujian have stepped up preventive measures, organized evacuations, and made preparations to respond to the storm. According to Fujian’s flood control authority, as of 6 pm on Saturday, a total of 17,800 officials had been deployed to frontline areas, while 98,900 people had been evacuated from high-risk areas, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

Fujian has suspended all 115 marine engineering projects and moved 290 construction vessels to safe waters. Sixty vessels under 3,000 gross tons and 291 people have been evacuated in Ningde, Fuzhou and Pingtan, while 55 passenger ferry routes in affected waters have been halted, chinanews.com reported. 

Meanwhile, railway services in the affected regions including Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai have also been suspended from Sunday to Monday, according to chinanews.com.

Fujian authorities have urged stronger safety measures for returning vessels, offshore platforms and coastal and island tourism, as well as reinforcement of aquaculture facilities. They also called for timely evacuations from flood- and landslide-prone areas to guard against secondary disasters from the typhoon and heavy rain, chinanews.com reported. 

In Zhejiang, Wenzhou city has closed all 85 A-level national tourist attractions, turned away more than 7,400 visitors and evacuated over 1,600, with the relocation effort ongoing, according to CCTV. 

Next, Wenzhou will next implement a “five suspensions” policy, halting outdoor group activities, classes, work, business operations and transportation.
All fishing vessels at Shitang Fishing Port in Wenling, Zhejiang, have returned to port, with all personnel evacuated ashore and maritime rescue teams on standby. Authorities urged vessels to stay off the sea during the typhoon. 

In Shanghai, Pudong and Hongqiao airports will operate at reduced capacity on Sunday, with nearly 60 percent of flights cut or canceled. A total of 1,384 flights are scheduled to be canceled including 871 at Pudong and 513 at Hongqiao. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates and adjust travel plans accordingly, according to CCTV.

According to Hu Xiao, meteorological analyst at the NMC, the typhoon has several notable features, including its strong intensity and expansive circulation. The typhoon also has several unusual features. Forming unusually far east, near 180°E, it has traveled more than 7,200 kilometers, making its potential landfall in China a rare event and possibly the easternmost such landfall since 1951. Its 12-day lifespan is also well above the typical seven-to-10-day average, CCTV reported. 

The typhoon has remained at sea for more than 260 hours and experienced a rare “three rises and three falls” in intensity, strengthening to super typhoon status three times before weakening to typhoon strength each time. Its unusually long lifespan has allowed it to absorb more moisture and energy, while repeated intensity fluctuations have complicated forecasts of its future track and intensity of wind and rainfall, according to CCTV. 

Global Times