Typhoon Dolphin hits eastern China, triggering mass evacuations and flood warnings

Typhoon Dolphin made landfall on China’s eastern coast on Sunday, August 9, 2026, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Zhejiang province and prompting warnings of floods and landslides across a wide area.

China’s meteorological authorities said the storm came ashore near Yuhuan at about 5:30 p.m. local time, with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour near its centre. Authorities moved residents from high-risk areas, recalled vessels to port and increased checks at reservoirs, mountain streams, construction sites and tourist locations.

More than one million people were evacuated across affected areas, including over 900,000 in Wenzhou and 98,900 in Fujian, according to figures cited by state media. Shanghai cancelled about 1,500 flights, while ferry routes and offshore construction projects in Fujian were suspended. The storm had earlier crossed Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, where six people were injured and more than 50,000 buildings lost power.

Forecasters expected torrential rain on Monday across Zhejiang, Shanghai and parts of Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu. Some areas of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive between 250 and 500 millimetres of rain. Officials warned that the storm’s expected slowdown inland could prolong rainfall and raise the danger along smaller rivers and in mountainous terrain.

Emergency agencies urged residents in areas under the highest alerts to follow local evacuation orders as the storm weakened and moved west.