Typhoon Dolphin made landfall on China’s eastern coast on Sunday, Aug. 9, bringing heavy rain and widespread flooding to Shanghai [1, 7].
The storm disrupted one of Asia's primary economic hubs, forcing mass evacuations and paralyzing air travel during a period of high vulnerability for coastal infrastructure.
Authorities in Shanghai said there were significant disruptions to the city's transport network. While reports on the scale of air travel interruptions vary, some sources said that 80% [3] of flights were cancelled, while others said the figure was nearly 60% [1]. Approximately 1,300 flights were cancelled in the city [2].
The storm's impact extended to the city's ground infrastructure. Over 100 streets in Shanghai experienced waterlogging [4] as torrential rain overwhelmed drainage systems. The storm had traveled about 6,000 km [4] before making landfall on the coast.
Emergency measures were implemented to protect residents from the rising waters. Reports said that 300,000 people were relocated in Shanghai [5] as a safety precaution against the storm's surge and flooding.
Beyond Shanghai, the typhoon also affected the neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian [1, 2]. Local officials said red alerts were issued as the storm brought the combination of strong winds and heavy precipitation to the region [2].
“Over 100 streets in Shanghai experienced waterlogging”
The scale of the disruption in Shanghai highlights the ongoing vulnerability of China's coastal megacities to extreme weather. The wide variance in reported flight cancellation percentages suggests a chaotic real-time response, while the relocation of hundreds of thousands of residents underscores the high human cost of maintaining urban stability during the typhoon season.
