Over a million evacuated as Typhoon Dolphin hits China’s east coast

By the Editorial Team · Monday, August 10, 2026

Typhoon Dolphin made landfall on China’s eastern coast near Yuhuan, Zhejiang province, bringing sustained winds equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane and prompting the evacuation of over one million people across several provinces. The storm is expected to cause prolonged heavy rainfall and increase the risk of flooding and landslides, leading to widespread transport disruptions and emergency alerts in the affected regions.

Typhoon Dolphin, the strongest tropical cyclone to impact China this year, made landfall on the country's eastern coast on Sunday, triggering widespread evacuations and transport disruptions. The storm struck near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time, bringing sustained winds of up to 42 meters per second (151 kilometers per hour), comparable to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Prior to reaching mainland China, Typhoon Dolphin passed through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, where it caused injuries to six people and left over 50,000 buildings without power. In China, authorities took preemptive measures, evacuating more than one million residents from vulnerable areas, especially in Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai, and Jiangsu provinces. Cities such as Wenzhou in Zhejiang relocated over 900,000 people and opened emergency shelters exceeding 1,000 in number.

The storm’s impact led to the cancellation of roughly 1,500 flights in Shanghai. A visitor from Guangdong province, identified as Chen, reported being stranded after his family's scheduled Sunday flight was canceled, with a rebooking for Monday night uncertain due to weather conditions. Despite the disruptions, Chen described typhoons as a routine occurrence for residents along China’s southern coast.

In addition to evacuations, multiple warning levels were activated across the affected regions. Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Fujian provinces all declared Level III emergency responses, with Fujian authorities evacuating nearly 99,000 people from high-risk zones. Maritime operations were also affected; Fujian officials suspended 55 ferry routes, halted 115 offshore construction projects, and dispatched 290 construction vessels to sheltered waters.

Forecasters anticipate heavy rainfall through August 10 across a broad swath of eastern and central China, including Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu. Some areas of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive between 250 and 500 millimeters of rain, raising the risk of flooding and landslides.

Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, projected that after landfall, the typhoon would move westward, slow over central and southwestern China, and gradually weaken. This trajectory may extend periods of heavy rain and exacerbate flood and landslide risks, particularly in mountainous regions and along smaller rivers such as the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao, and Shuyang. The Ministry of Water Resources has issued warnings about potential major flooding along these waterways.

Authorities in Zhejiang have highlighted the high probability of geological hazards in certain areas, issuing red mountain torrent warnings and urging residents to comply with evacuation orders where issued. Transport networks across eastern China experienced significant disruptions as the storm advanced inland, underscoring the ongoing challenges posed by Typhoon Dolphin.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.