China Braces for Typhoon Dolphin as Over 1,600 Flights Cancelled, 500,000 Evacuated.

China is intensifying emergency preparations as powerful Typhoon Dolphin approaches the country’s eastern coast, forcing the cancellation of more than 1,600 flights and the evacuation of around 500,000 people.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued its highest-level red typhoon warning on Sunday, forecasting destructive winds and torrential rainfall across several densely populated coastal areas.

Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports cancelled nearly 1,400 flights, while another 270 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled at Hangzhou Airport in neighbouring Zhejiang province.

Authorities have also carried out large-scale evacuations. About 390,000 residents were moved from vulnerable areas in Taizhou, Zhejiang, while more than 30,000 people were relocated from high-risk areas in Shanghai. In Fujian province, approximately 99,000 residents were evacuated ahead of the storm.

More than 200 ferry routes in Zhejiang and Fujian were suspended as authorities warned of dangerous sea conditions.

The NMC said some parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive between 250mm and 500mm of rainfall, raising the risk of severe flooding and landslides. Heavy rain is also expected in Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu through Monday.

Typhoon Dolphin is expected to make landfall in China between Sunday night and Monday, bringing sustained winds of up to 162km/h before gradually weakening as it moves inland.

The storm has already affected northern Taiwan, where strong winds and heavy rain disrupted ferry services and led to the cancellation of more than 180 flights.

Dolphin previously swept across Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring seven people and leaving tens of thousands of buildings without power.

Authorities across the affected regions are urging residents to remain alert, follow evacuation orders and avoid unnecessary travel as the powerful storm approaches.

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