Tropical Storm Dolphin struck the coast of eastern China on Sunday evening, bringing heavy rain and severe flooding to Zhejiang province.
The storm's arrival forced a massive logistical response to prevent loss of life and minimize infrastructure damage in one of China's most populous coastal regions.
The storm made landfall in Taizhou, located in Zhejiang province on China’s eastern coast [1]. At the time of landfall, the system carried maximum sustained winds of 151 km/h [1]. These winds and associated rainfall triggered severe flooding and increased the risk of landslides across the region [1].
Authorities said they evacuated more than 1 million people to safer ground [2]. The scale of the displacement reflects the high risk posed by the storm's intensity and the vulnerability of the coastal geography.
Transportation networks faced significant disruptions as the storm moved inland. Nearly 1,000 flights were cancelled in Shanghai [2]. On a national level, hundreds of other flights were cancelled as part of the emergency response [3].
Reports on the storm's classification varied among sources, with some identifying the system as a tropical storm and others describing it as a typhoon [3]. Despite these differences in terminology, the impact remained centered on the heavy precipitation and wind speeds that overwhelmed local drainage systems in Taizhou [1].
Emergency crews continue to monitor the affected areas for secondary hazards, such as mudslides, as the water recedes from the eastern coastline [1].
“Maximum sustained winds reached 151 km/h at landfall.”
The scale of the evacuations and the disruption to Shanghai's aviation hub demonstrate the high economic and human stakes of tropical weather events in eastern China. The discrepancy in storm classification suggests a system that was hovering near the threshold between a strong tropical storm and a typhoon, yet the resulting 151 km/h winds were sufficient to trigger emergency protocols for over a million residents.
