Typhoon Dolphin disrupts flights and rail services in eastern China
China issues its highest weather warning as the storm approaches Zhejiang and Fujian, with more than 98,900 people evacuated and port operations suspended.
- Over 1,600 flights were cancelled at airports in Shanghai and Hangzhou as Typhoon Dolphin approached China's eastern coast.
- Train services were temporarily halted across multiple eastern provinces, including Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Fujian.
- The widespread disruptions were prompted by China issuing its highest-level red alert for the storm, which was forecast to be the strongest of the year.
China issued its highest-level red alert as Typhoon Dolphin approached the country’s eastern coast, bringing widespread disruption to flights, rail services and port operations, the South China Morning Post reported.
The storm was centred over the southern East China Sea at 10am on Sunday (August 9, 2026), about 215 kilometres east of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.
Li Guoying, China’s Minister of Water Resources, estimated that it would be the strongest typhoon to strike the country this year.
Dolphin was forecast to make landfall along the Zhejiang and Fujian coasts between Sunday night and Monday morning before gradually weakening.
Zhejiang and Shanghai were within the storm’s “dangerous semicircle”, where the strongest winds and heaviest rainfall were expected.
Shanghai suspended 1,384 inbound and outbound flights, including 871 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and 513 at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport cancelled another 270 flights, while trains serving Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Anhui and Jiangxi were temporarily halted on Sunday and Monday.
The fourth storm to make landfall in China since July 3 was expected to bring 40% more rain than Typhoon Bavi in the previous month.
Rainfall could reach 800-900 millimetres in landfall areas, while the storm’s slower movement was expected to prolong the downpours and heighten the risk of flooding.
As Dolphin was forecast to move northwards across several major drainage basins, the Ministry of Water Resources instructed local authorities to release water from reservoirs in advance.
The affected basins included Taihu Lake and the Yangtze, Huai, Yellow and Hai rivers.
Fujian evacuated more than 98,900 people, suspended 55 coastal ferry routes and halted all construction projects along the coast.
Shanghai moved vessels from Yangshan Port to safer waters, while Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang was completely closed.
Source: South China Morning Post
