More than a million people have been evacuated in China due to a powerful typhoon — Reuters
Typhoon "Dolphin" has hit China's east coast, bringing heavy rains and gale-force winds. More than a million people have been evacuated due to the threat of flooding and landslides, and there are reports of casualties.
Typhoon “Dolphin,” the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, struck the country’s east coast. The storm brought heavy rains and strong winds, prompting authorities to issue warnings about the risk of flooding and landslides.
The storm made landfall near the city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang Province at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, August 9. According to Chinese meteorological services, the maximum sustained wind speed near the typhoon’s center reached 42 meters per second, or 151 km/h.
Before the typhoon struck, authorities evacuated workers from offshore facilities, ordered ships to return to port, and stepped up inspections of reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites, and tourist attractions.
Heavy rains were forecast through August 10 in Zhejiang Province, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and a large part of Jiangsu. Precipitation of 250 to 500 mm is expected in central and eastern Zhejiang.
After making landfall, “Dolphin” was expected to move westward before slowing down over central and southwestern China and gradually weakening.
According to Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, this could lead to prolonged downpours and increase the risk of flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous areas and near small rivers.
Due to the typhoon, transportation services in eastern China have been severely disrupted. More than one million people have been evacuated from their homes. In Shanghai, at least 30,300 people were evacuated, and about 1,500 flights were canceled. In the neighboring province of Zhejiang, the city of Wenzhou evacuated more than 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 temporary shelters.
In Fujian Province, 98,900 people were evacuated from high-risk areas. There, 55 coastal passenger ferry routes were also suspended, all 115 offshore construction projects were halted, and 290 construction vessels were moved to safer waters.
In Shanghai, the Yangshan Port cleared its berths of vessels and moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelters.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources warned that the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao, and Shuiyang rivers could overflow their banks. In the hardest-hit areas, water levels in smaller rivers may also exceed dangerous levels.
The day before, Typhoon Dolphin passed through Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture. Six people were injured there, and more than 50,000 buildings were left without power. Scientists note that global warming has increased the likelihood of extreme weather events, including stronger typhoons, according to Reuters.
Earlier, the Philippines was hit by an earthquake for the second time in three days.
As a reminder, Italy was rocked by its strongest earthquake in 40 years.
On the morning of August 4, 2026, residents of Northern Tuscany in Italy felt an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3. The tremors were recorded around 10:15 a.m. near the city of Pisa; there is currently no information on the consequences.
