In response to Typhoon Dolphin’s landfall, over a million people have been evacuated from their homes in eastern China, including parts of Shanghai. Initially hitting Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at 17:30 (09:30 GMT) with maximum wind speeds of 150 km/h (94 mph), the typhoon made a second landfall in Wenzhou about an hour later, according to meteorological authorities.
The typhoon significantly disrupted transportation across the region, with Shanghai alone seeing the cancellation of 1,400 flights.
Though Chinese authorities had initially issued a maximum-level red alert for the typhoon, it was downgraded to a tropical storm by Monday morning. Despite the downgrade, the storm is progressing inland, posing threats of torrential rains, severe flooding, and landslides through Wednesday.
Heavy rainfall has been predicted on Monday for the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, as well as the city of Shanghai.
Images show residents navigating flooded streets in Shanghai, particularly in the former French Concession area, a tourist hotspot where ground-floor businesses are also affected.
Local governments have advised residents to stay indoors, while several prominent tourist sites remain closed. This includes parts of Disneyland and Legoland and various viewing platforms along Shanghai’s Bund.
State media reports highlight a nine-year-old boy from Wenling, Zhejiang, who is missing after reportedly being swept into the sea. There are no casualties reported yet by Chinese officials.
Rainfall in parts of Zhejiang could range from 250mm to 500mm over the coming days. In Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, parking fees have been waived in all public areas to provide refuge for drivers against the strong winds and floods.
Elsewhere, about 900,000 residents in Wenzhou have been relocated and over 1,000 emergency shelters set up, while Taizhou has seen about 390,000 evacuations.
In the coastal province of Fujian, maritime authorities have suspended numerous passenger ferry routes and halted over 100 offshore construction projects.
CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, noted that Typhoon Dolphin covered a distance of 6,000 km before making landfall, indicating a lifespan more than triple that of an average typhoon.
