Typhoon Dolphin's Impact on Eastern China
Eastern China has experienced extensive rainfall and flooding as a result of Typhoon Dolphin, which has been identified as the strongest storm to make landfall in the region this year. The typhoon, which struck areas including Shanghai, brought wind speeds reaching up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour), necessitating the evacuation of more than one million residents. The storm has not only caused significant travel disruptions but also led to heavy rainfall, inundation, and an elevated risk of landslides across the affected areas. On Monday, approximately 40 percent of flights in Shanghai were canceled due to the severe weather conditions. After making landfall late on Sunday, Typhoon Dolphin's intensity diminished to below cyclone strength, with further weakening anticipated as it progresses inland.
Landfall Details and Initial Aftermath
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Yuhuan, located in China's Zhejiang province, around 5:30 PM (09:30 GMT) on Sunday, according to Chinese meteorological authorities. Shanghai bore the brunt of the storm on Monday, with local residents utilizing the hashtag "Shanghai turns into the sea" on the social media platform Weibo to describe the extensive flooding. This event follows last month's Typhoon Bavi, which also affected Zhejiang and prompted the evacuation of 1.7 million individuals.
Projected Path and Potential Damage
Heavy rainfall was forecasted for Monday across a broad area, encompassing Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu. Forecasters indicated that parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive between 250mm to 500mm (10 to 20 inches) of rain. China's Ministry of Water Resources issued warnings regarding potential major flooding in the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao, and Shuiyang rivers, alongside concerns that smaller rivers in the most impacted regions could surpass warning levels. Authorities also highlighted a significant risk of geological disasters in certain areas of Zhejiang, advising residents in zones under a red mountain-torrent warning to adhere to local evacuation directives. Following its landfall, Dolphin is predicted to move westward, gradually slowing over central and southwestern China and progressively losing strength, as stated by Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, to state broadcaster CCTV. This slower movement could prolong heavy rainfall, thereby increasing the threat of flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous regions and along smaller river systems.
Government Response and Evacuation Efforts
Authorities have issued warnings about the potential for severe flooding and landslides as the storm advances inland and continues to bring substantial rain to densely populated areas of eastern China. Shanghai facilitated the evacuation of at least 30,300 people. In the neighboring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou relocated over 900,000 residents and established more than 1,000 emergency shelters. Additionally, approximately 390,000 people in Zhejiang's Taizhou city were evacuated prior to Saturday evening. In Fujian province, about 98,900 individuals were moved from high-risk areas after authorities elevated the typhoon emergency response to Level III, as reported by the state news agency Xinhua. Measures taken included relocating offshore workers to safety, ordering vessels back to port, and increasing inspections of reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites, and tourist locations. The public has been advised to avoid outdoor activities, and tourist attractions, including sections of Disneyland and Legoland, as well as viewing platforms along the Bund in Shanghai, have been temporarily closed. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang’s capital, public parking fees were waived for drivers needing to leave their vehicles to seek shelter. Transportation across the region has been widely affected, with around 1,400 flights canceled from Shanghai. Fujian maritime authorities suspended 55 coastal passenger ferry routes, halted 115 offshore construction projects, and moved 290 construction vessels to sheltered waters. Shanghai’s Yangshan port also cleared ships from its berths and relocated more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to safety before the storm's arrival.
Origin and Strength of Typhoon Dolphin
Typhoon Dolphin originated as a tropical depression on July 26, traversing the Central Pacific Ocean at 45 km/h (30 mph) on a journey spanning several thousand kilometers. Throughout its progression, Dolphin intensified from a tropical storm to a severe tropical storm, eventually developing into a typhoon and then a very strong typhoon by July 28. Upon reaching China on Monday, the storm exhibited maximum sustained winds of 151 km/h (93 mph) near its center, which is comparable to a Category 1 hurricane, the lowest hurricane classification. While hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are fundamentally similar meteorological phenomena, their classification depends on their geographic origin. All three are storm systems characterized by winds exceeding 118 km/h (73 mph). Typhoons occur in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, frequently impacting the Philippines and Japan, with the season typically running from May to October. Cyclones are found in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, affecting countries from Australia to Mozambique, with their season generally from November to April. Hurricanes develop in the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific, often impacting the East Coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Hurricane strength is measured on a scale from 1 to 5, with a Category 1 hurricane having sustained winds of 119-153 km/h (74-95 mph) and a Category 5 storm exceeding 252 km/h (157 mph). Different agencies utilize varying wind scales; notably, China does not use the Saffir-Simpson hurricane category scale in its official domestic forecasting or national standards.
Current Status and Regional Impact
Since its landfall on Sunday, Dolphin has weakened and is projected to continue dissipating. As of Monday, Dolphin is classified as a remnant low, meaning it is a weakened, post-tropical cyclone that lacks the organized thunderstorm activity necessary for a tropical storm designation. It is expected to further dissipate and lose energy, reaching 35 km/h by 17:00 GMT on Tuesday. Prior to hitting China, Typhoon Dolphin affected the outer Japanese Ogasawara Islands (Bonin Islands) on August 4, bringing strong winds. It then moved through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture over the weekend, resulting in at least six injuries and power outages for over 50,000 buildings. The storm's outer bands brought heavy rain to northern Taiwan, including Taipei, starting Saturday, leading to the suspension of dozens of ferry services and the cancellation of more than 180 flights. In the Philippines, Dolphin intensified seasonal monsoon rains, leading to flooding and landslides. A landslide in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio on Sunday trapped five people, with seven still missing. Extensive flooding also impacted large parts of the main northern island of Luzon, including the densely populated Manila metropolitan region, displacing over 12,000 people and prompting the closure of schools in several northern cities and towns on Friday and Saturday. These monsoon rains followed a tropical storm last week that claimed at least six lives, including four from landslides and rockslides in the provinces of Benguet and Rizal.
Naming Convention of Typhoon Dolphin
The typhoon was named after Hong Kong’s Chinese white dolphins. Individual hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are named by the Typhoon Committee at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which maintains rotating lists of names. For Atlantic hurricanes, these lists typically feature easy-to-remember male or female first names. In contrast, the WMO’s lists for storms in the western North Pacific include local animals, plants, and cultural items, with "Dolphin" being Hong Kong’s contribution.
