FUZHOU, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – Typhoon Dolphin prompted the evacuation of approximately 167,900 residents in Fujian Province as heavy rains and flooding spread throughout eastern China. The number of displaced individuals in Fujian was reported to be those who moved from vulnerable land and coastal zones by 7 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, Shanghai 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 progressing inland and gradually weakening.
Fujian authorities halted 686 passenger routes and suspended 658 train services amid storm response efforts. They also shut down 234 major tourist sites and canceled numerous cultural and tourism events. In Shanghai, airlines canceled over 900 flights at the city’s two main airports on Monday. Heavy rainfall caused flooding in parts of the financial hub and disrupted public transit. These actions followed extensive weather warnings across coastal regions exposed to Dolphin’s strong winds and rainfall.
Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, reached Zhejiang with fierce winds on Sunday. It made landfall near Yuhuan in Taizhou around 5:30 p.m., with maximum sustained winds of 42 meters per second, which is approximately 151 kilometers per hour. The storm struck Zhejiang again before moving further inland. Its broad circulation brought heavy rain across Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other eastern Chinese areas as the storm weakened.
Storm weakens following 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 was producing maximum winds of 18 meters per second, while the central pressure stood at 995 hectopascals. The storm was moving west-northwest at around 15 kilometers per hour. Heavy rainfall persisted across multiple provinces well beyond Dolphin’s original coastal impact zone.
On Monday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Hubei, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong. It continued to maintain a Level III response in Zhejiang as officials monitored rivers and areas vulnerable to flash floods. Additionally, central authorities allocated 120 million yuan to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi to support rescue efforts, temporary shelters, hazard removal, safety inspections, and repairs for flood- and typhoon-damaged homes.
Flood control measures extend further inland
Forecasts for Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday predicted heavy rainfall across a wide stretch of eastern and central China. The affected regions included Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, and Hebei. Beijing and Tianjin also remained within the heavy-rain zone. Estimated rainfall ranged from 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 to monitor smaller rivers, mountainous areas, and communities prone to flooding as Dolphin moved further inland. The evacuation number of 167,900 pertains specifically to Fujian Province, not the entire eastern China region. Shanghai reported an additional 215,600 evacuations, and Zhejiang also carried out extensive relocations before the storm reached the coast. By Tuesday morning, Dolphin had significantly weakened from its Zhejiang landfall strength, yet its circulation still caused heavy rainfall across central and eastern China.