Typhoon Dolphin slams into China's east coast, grounding flights and forcing mass evacuations

China raised its highest typhoon alert on Sunday as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall near the southeastern city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang province, cancelling more than 1,000 flights and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents across the eastern seaboard.

The National Meteorological Centre issued a red warning, its most severe, forecasting "extraordinary torrential rain" across central and eastern Zhejiang, with heavy precipitation expected to persist through Monday afternoon in Shanghai, Fujian, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. Nearly 1,400 flights were grounded at Shanghai's two main airports, while Hangzhou airport cancelled 270 services, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Mass evacuations and transport shutdown

Authorities moved swiftly ahead of landfall. In Wenzhou, more than 900,000 residents were relocated and over 1,000 emergency shelters opened. Fujian province evacuated nearly 99,000 people from high-risk areas on Saturday evening, while Shanghai had moved at least 30,300 to safety by Sunday morning, according to flight-tracking firm VariFlight. More than 200 ferry routes across Zhejiang and Fujian were suspended, 474 construction vessels were ordered to port, and offshore projects halted. Train services in affected areas were also stopped as a precaution.

The water resources ministry warned that the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could see major flooding, with smaller rivers in the hardest-hit areas likely to exceed warning levels. Geological disaster risks remain high in parts of Zhejiang, and residents under red mountain-torrent warnings have been told to follow local evacuation orders.

From Okinawa to the Yangtze Delta

Before reaching China, Dolphin swept through Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. The system is now expected to weaken as it tracks north-westward over eastern China, though forecasters caution that heavy rain and flood risks will persist well after the wind subsides.

"To us Guangdong people, this typhoon is as ordinary as having a meal and feeling the wind. It's just part of everyday life,"

Said a 44-year-old tourist surnamed Chen, stranded in Shanghai after his family's flight was cancelled. His family has been rebooked for Monday night, though they remain uncertain whether that service will operate.

What comes next

Emergency responses at Level III, the second-highest tier, have been activated in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Fujian. Shanghai's Yangshan port, a critical node in global shipping, cleared its berths and moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelter. As the storm moves inland, the focus will shift to flood control, landslide monitoring and the speed with which transport and logistics networks can resume normal operations.