One million evacuated as Typhoon Dolphin pummels east China: What we know

Provinces in eastern China have been inundated with heavy rain and flooding caused by Typhoon Dolphin, the strongest storm to make landfall in China this year.

Dolphin struck eastern China, including Shanghai, with winds up to ۱۵۰ kilometres per hour (۹۳ miles per hour), forcing more than one million people to evacuate their homes. The storm has disrupted flights and other transport while bringing heavy rain, flooding and the risk of landslides across the region.

About ۴۰ percent of flights in Shanghai were grounded on Monday due to the weather.

After Dolphin made landfall late on Sunday, it weakened to below cyclone strength and is forecast to weaken further as it moves inland.

Here is what we know:

When and where did Typhoon Dolphin make landfall?

The typhoon made landfall in Yuhuan in China’s Zhejiang province about ۵:۳۰pm (۰۹:۳۰ GMT) on Sunday, according to China’s meteorological authorities.

On Monday, Shanghai was badly hit with residents circulating the hashtag “Shanghai turns into the sea” on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Last month, Typhoon Bavi also made landfall in Zhejiang, causing the evacuation of ۱.۷ million people.

Where is the storm moving, and how much damage will it cause?

Torrential rain was expected on Monday across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui and much of Jiangsu.

Parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive ۲۵۰mm to ۵۰۰mm (۱۰ to ۲۰ inches) of rain in all, according to forecasters.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources warned that the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could experience major flooding while smaller rivers in the hardest hit areas could rise above warning levels.

Authorities also warned of a high risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang with residents in areas under a red mountain-torrent warning told to follow local evacuation orders.

Since making landfall, Dolphin is forecast to track westwards before slowing over central and southwestern China and gradually losing strength, Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, told state broadcaster CCTV.

The slower movement could prolong heavy rainfall and increase the threat of flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas and along smaller rivers.

How have the authorities responded?

The authorities have warned of the risk of severe flooding and landslides as the storm moves further inland and continues to bring heavy rain to densely populated areas of eastern China.

Shanghai evacuated at least ۳۰,۳۰۰ people while, in neighbouring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou relocated more than ۹۰۰,۰۰۰ residents and opened more than ۱,۰۰۰ emergency shelters.

Authorities also evacuated about ۳۹۰,۰۰۰ people in the Zhejiang city of Taizhou before Saturday evening.

In Fujian province, about ۹۸,۹۰۰ people were evacuated from high-risk areas after authorities raised the typhoon emergency response to Level III, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

Authorities moved offshore workers to safety, ordered vessels back to port and stepped up inspections of reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites and tourist locations.

People have been told to avoid going out of doors and tourist attractions, including parts of Disneyland and Legoland, and viewing platforms along the Bund in Shanghai have been closed.

In Hangzhou, Zhejiang’s capital, parking fees in public spaces have been waived for drivers needing to abandon vehicles to seek shelter.

Transport has been widely disrupted across the region. About ۱,۴۰۰ flights have been cancelled from Shanghai.

Fujian maritime authorities suspended ۵۵ coastal passenger ferry routes, halted ۱۱۵ offshore construction projects and moved ۲۹۰ construction vessels to sheltered waters.

Shanghai’s Yangshan port also cleared ships from its berths and moved more than ۵۰۰ small and medium-sized vessels to shelter before the storm.

How strong is Typhoon Dolphin, and where did it come from?

Dolphin originally grew out of a tropical depression on July ۲۶, moving at ۴۵km/h (۳۰mph) over the open waters of the Central Pacific Ocean as it embarked on a journey of several thousand kilometres.

Over the course of its journey, Dolphin strengthened to a tropical storm and then to a severe tropical storm before burgeoning into a typhoon and then a very strong typhoon on July ۲۸.

As it came ashore in China on Monday, the storm packed maximum sustained winds of ۱۵۱km/h (۹۳mph) near its centre, equivalent to a Category ۱ hurricane, the lowest category of hurricane.

Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all essentially the same thing. The main difference is where they originate. All three are storm systems with winds exceeding ۱۱۸km/h (۷۳mph).

Typhoons occur in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and frequently hit the Philippines and Japan. Typhoon season is most common between May and October, but the storms can form year-round. The strength of a typhoon has various classification scales with the most severe storms named super typhoons.

Cyclones occur in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, often impacting countries from Australia all the way to Mozambique. Cyclone season typically runs from November to April.

Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific and often affect the East Coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The strength of a hurricane is measured on a wind scale from ۱ to ۵. A Category ۱ hurricane will bring sustained winds of ۱۱۹-۱۵۳km/h (۷۴-۹۵mph) whereas a Category ۵ storm can exceed ۲۵۲km/h (۱۵۷mph).

Different agencies use different wind scales. China does not use the Saffir-Simpson hurricane category scale in its official domestic forecasting or national standards.

Will Typhoon Dolphin become stronger or weaker now?

Since making landfall on Sunday, Dolphin has weakened and is expected to further weaken.

As of Monday, Dolphin is a remnant low, or a weakened, post-tropical cyclone that has lost the organised thunderstorm activity required to qualify as a tropical storm. It is expected to continue to dissipate and lose energy on Tuesday to ۳۵km/h by ۱۷:۰۰ GMT.

Where else has Typhoon Dolphin hit?

The typhoon battered the outer Japanese Ogasawara Islands, also called the Bonin Islands – the first part of Japan it reached – with strong winds on August ۴.

Dolphin then swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture over the weekend, injuring at least six people and cutting power to more than ۵۰,۰۰۰ buildings.

The outer bands of Dolphin brought heavy rain to northern Taiwan, including the capital, Taipei, from Saturday. Dozens of ferry services were suspended, and more than ۱۸۰ flights were cancelled as the storm brought strong winds and downpours.

In the Philippines, Dolphin intensified seasonal monsoon rains that triggered flooding and landslides in parts of the country.

Five people were rescued and seven were still missing after a landslide struck three houses in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio on Sunday, according to officials.

Flooding also affected large parts of the main northern island of Luzon, including the densely populated Manila metropolitan region, displacing more than ۱۲,۰۰۰ people and forcing several northern cities and towns to close schools on Friday and Saturday.

The monsoon rains followed a tropical storm that killed at least six people last week, including four people killed in a landslide and rockslide in the provinces of Benguet and Rizal, Philippine officials said.

Why is this storm called Typhoon Dolphin?

The typhoon has been named after Hong Kong’s Chinese white dolphins.

Individual hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are named by the Typhoon Committee at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which maintains premade, rotating lists of names.

For hurricanes originating in the Atlantic Ocean, these lists comprise typically male or female first names that are easy to remember.

The WMO’s lists of names for the western North Pacific’s storms include local animals, plants and cultural items. Dolphin was Hong Kong’s contribution.

Where to track Dolphin

You can track Dolphin on Zoom Earth, an online platform with satellite imagery that shows weather patterns and is useful for tracking storms.