FUZHOU, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – As heavy rains and flooding spread across eastern China, approximately 167,900 residents in Fujian Province were evacuated due to Typhoon Dolphin. The storm prompted officials to move residents from vulnerable coastal and land areas by 7 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, in Shanghai, authorities evacuated around 215,600 people from zones deemed at risk by late Sunday. Dolphin made two landfalls in neighboring Zhejiang Province on Sunday before continuing inland and gradually weakening.
During the storm response, Fujian authorities canceled 686 passenger routes and suspended 658 train services. They also shut down 234 major tourist sites and canceled numerous cultural and tourism events. In Shanghai, airlines canceled more than 900 flights at the city’s two main airports on Monday. The heavy rainfall resulted in flooding in parts of the financial hub and disrupted public transit services. These measures followed widespread weather warnings issued across coastal areas exposed to Dolphin’s winds and rain.
Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, made landfall in Zhejiang with strong winds on Sunday. It struck near Yuhuan in Taizhou around 5:30 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 42 meters per second, equivalent to roughly 151 kilometers per hour. The storm made another landfall in Zhejiang before moving further inland. Its extensive circulation brought heavy rain across Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other parts of eastern China as the storm continued to weaken.
Storm diminishes 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, maintaining 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 drifting west-northwest at approximately 15 kilometers per hour. Intense rainfall persisted across multiple provinces well beyond the storm’s original coastal landfall zone.
On Monday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Hubei, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong. Meanwhile, Zhejiang maintained a Level III response as officials monitored rivers and areas susceptible to flash floods. The central government allocated 120 million yuan for Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi, supporting rescue efforts, temporary shelters, hazard mitigation, safety inspections, and repairs to flood- and storm-damaged homes.
Flood management efforts extend further inland
Forecasts from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday predict heavy rainfall across a wide region of eastern and central China. Areas at risk include Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, and Hebei. Beijing and Tianjin are also expected to experience substantial rainfall. Predicted rainfall totals reach 250 to 350 millimeters in parts of southwestern Shandong and central and eastern Henan. Additionally, strong winds will persist along sections of the eastern coast, the adjacent seas, the Yangtze River estuary, and Hangzhou Bay.
Authorities continue to monitor smaller rivers, mountainous regions, and communities vulnerable to flooding as Dolphin moves further inland. The evacuation figure of 167,900 pertains specifically to Fujian Province, not the entirety of eastern China. Shanghai reported an additional 215,600 evacuations, while Zhejiang also carried out extensive relocations before the storm reached the coast. By Tuesday morning, Dolphin had considerably weakened from its Zhejiang landfall strength, though its circulation still caused heavy rain across central and eastern China.