FUZHOU, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – In Fujian Province, approximately 167,900 residents were evacuated due to Typhoon Dolphin as heavy rainfall and flooding spread throughout eastern China. The evacuation in Fujian, which involved residents moving from vulnerable coastal and land areas by 7 a.m. Monday, was part of a broader response. Separately, Shanghai evacuated about 215,600 people from zones considered at risk by late Sunday. The storm made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Sunday before continuing inland and gradually weakening.
During the storm response, authorities in Fujian halted 686 passenger routes and 658 train services. They also closed 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. The city experienced flooding in parts of its financial district and disruptions to public transit caused by heavy rainfall. These measures were implemented following widespread weather warnings across coastal areas exposed to Dolphin’s winds and rain.
As the 13th typhoon of 2026, Dolphin reached Zhejiang with intense winds on Sunday, making landfall near Yuhuan in Taizhou around 5:30 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 42 meters per second, equivalent to about 151 kilometers per hour. The storm made a second landfall in Zhejiang before continuing further inland. Its broad circulation brought heavy rainfall across Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other regions in eastern China as it weakened.
Storm diminishes following Zhejiang landfalls
By 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dolphin’s eye 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. The storm’s outer circulation carried maximum winds of 18 meters per second, with a central pressure of 995 hectopascals. Moving west-northwest at approximately 15 kilometers per hour, it continued to bring heavy rain to several provinces well beyond its initial coastal landfall zone.
On Monday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Hubei, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong. A Level III response remained in effect 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 to homes affected by the flooding and storm.
Flood control measures extend further inland
Forecasts for Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday predicted heavy rain across a wide region of eastern and central China. The affected areas included Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, and Hebei, with Beijing and Tianjin also within the heavy-rain zone. Rainfall amounts were expected to reach 250 to 350 millimeters in parts of southwestern Shandong and central and eastern Henan. Strong winds persisted along sections of the eastern coast, adjacent seas, the Yangtze River estuary, and Hangzhou Bay.
Authorities maintained close monitoring of smaller rivers, mountainous regions, and communities vulnerable to flooding as Dolphin moved deeper inland. The specific evacuation figure of 167,900 pertains to Fujian Province alone, not eastern China as a whole. Shanghai reported an additional 215,600 evacuations, and large-scale relocations were also carried out in Zhejiang before the storm reached the coast. By Tuesday morning, Dolphin had significantly weakened from its strength at Zhejiang landfall, yet its circulation continued to produce heavy rainfall across central and eastern China.