ZHEJIANG / RankWire.AI / – China shifted emergency operations toward disaster relief after Typhoon Dolphin struck Zhejiang twice and weakened over inland areas Monday. The storm brought destructive winds and heavy rain to parts of eastern China. The National Meteorological Center said Dolphin had weakened to a tropical storm by early Monday afternoon. Its center had moved into Jiangxi province. Authorities maintained flood controls and relief measures as the storm’s rain bands extended across several provinces.
Dolphin first made landfall around 5:30 p.m. Sunday in Yuhuan, a coastal city in Zhejiang’s Taizhou area. It hit as a strong typhoon with maximum winds of 42 meters per second. The storm made a second landfall around 6:40 p.m. in Yueqing, near Wenzhou. Winds reached 38 meters per second at the second landfall. Dolphin then moved inland and lost strength as its center crossed southwestern Zhejiang.
By 1 p.m. Monday, the National Meteorological Center placed Dolphin over Guangfeng District in Shangrao, Jiangxi. Maximum winds had fallen to 20 meters per second, while central pressure stood at 990 hectopascals. The system was moving northwest at 10 to 15 kilometers per hour. China’s Ministry of Emergency Management also activated a Level IV national disaster relief response for Zhejiang. Officials sent a relief team to affected areas to assess damage and support displaced residents.
Emergency measures expanded before landfall
Authorities had introduced extensive safety measures before Dolphin reached the Chinese coast. Zhejiang suspended all 162 passenger ferry routes and stopped work at 193 offshore projects. Officials also ordered 474 construction vessels back to port. In neighboring Fujian, authorities relocated 98,900 people from areas considered at risk by Saturday evening. The province suspended 55 passenger ferry routes and halted 115 offshore construction sites. All 1,210 registered fishing boats in the coastal city of Fuding returned to port.
Shanghai also recorded significant rainfall as Dolphin’s outer bands crossed the city. Local authorities said they relocated 215,600 people from areas considered dangerous. More than 300 flood-control pumping stations operated as crews worked to drain accumulated water. Rainfall reached 264 millimeters in Pudong’s Tangqiao area by Sunday afternoon. Shanghai issued its highest rainstorm warning for central districts during the heaviest rainfall. Officials later lowered the warning level as conditions eased in parts of the city.
Heavy rain risks extend across eastern China
The National Meteorological Center kept a blue typhoon warning in effect Monday as Dolphin weakened inland. Forecasters said heavy rain would affect Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan and other regions through the storm’s inland passage. Parts of northern and eastern Zhejiang had already recorded exceptional rainfall. The Ministry of Water Resources warned that major rivers across several basins could rise sharply. Officials also highlighted elevated risks from mountain torrents, smaller river floods and geological hazards.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said the national relief response in Zhejiang would support damage assessments and assistance for affected residents. The response also covers temporary resettlement and basic living needs in disaster areas. Water authorities continued monitoring rivers, reservoirs and flood-prone communities as rainfall moved farther inland. Dolphin remained a tropical storm over Jiangxi early Monday afternoon, well below its strength at landfall. Emergency operations continued across affected regions as authorities managed flooding, transport disruption and post-landfall relief needs.