More than a million people were evacuated in eastern China after Typhoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike the country this year, made landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening.
The storm has since weakened to a remnant low, but torrential rain has continued across several provinces and about 1,500 flights were cancelled in Shanghai alone.
Where did it strike?
Dolphin came ashore near Yuhuan in Zhejiang at about 5:30pm on Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 151km/h, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane, having triggered China’s highest weather alert.
The city of Wenzhou relocated more than 900,000 residents and opened over 1,000 emergency shelters. Shanghai evacuated at least 30,300 people and grounded about 40 per cent of flights on Monday.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Landfall | Yuhuan, Zhejiang, 9 August |
| Maximum sustained winds | 151km/h |
| Evacuated | More than 1 million |
| Flights cancelled, Shanghai | About 1,500 |
| Alert level | Red, the highest |
What was the impact of Typhoon Dolphin?
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province, eastern China, at approximately 5:30pm local time on 9 August 2026, with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane. It was the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike China during 2026. More than one million people were evacuated, including over 900,000 relocated in the city of Wenzhou and at least 30,300 in Shanghai, where around 1,500 flights were cancelled. China’s National Meteorological Centre activated a red alert, the highest level in its typhoon warning system. Before reaching China the storm passed through Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, and intensified monsoon rains in the Philippines, where a landslide in Baguio struck three houses. By Monday Dolphin had weakened to a remnant low while continuing to bring heavy rain to Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong.
What happened elsewhere on its path?
Before reaching China, Dolphin swept through Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings.
In Taiwan, outer bands brought heavy rain to Taipei from Saturday, with dozens of ferry services suspended and more than 180 flights cancelled.
In the Philippines the storm intensified seasonal monsoon rains, triggering flooding and landslides. Five people were rescued and seven remained missing after a landslide struck three houses in the mountain city of Baguio.
What preparations were made?
Authorities moved offshore workers to safety, ordered vessels back to port and increased inspections at reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites and tourist locations.
Shanghai’s Yangshan port cleared ships from its berths and moved more than 500 small and medium vessels to shelter.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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