Post by : Badri Ariffin

BEIJING — Heavy rain and strong winds linked to Typhoon Dolphin caused widespread flooding across eastern China on Monday, August 10, with streets in Shanghai inundated and hundreds of flights disrupted.

Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening, August 9, with maximum sustained winds of 151 kph near its centre. The storm weakened to a tropical storm after reaching land, but its large rain bands continued to bring heavy rainfall to eastern provinces.

Shanghai Hit by Flooding and Flight Disruptions

Shanghai experienced widespread waterlogging, including in several major commercial areas. The city's two airports cancelled a combined 943 flights, cutting flight capacity by nearly 40%, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.

China Eastern Airlines said it was working to gradually restore flights to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other affected destinations.

Residents in Shanghai's Jiading and Qingpu districts reported continued flooding. Live-streamed footage shared on social media showed people moving through knee-deep muddy water. The footage was not independently verified by Reuters.

Hou Lina, a 39-year-old sales worker living in Jiading, said heavy rain continued through the night and left her neighbourhood and nearby roads severely flooded.

She said she had lived in Shanghai for 10 years and had never experienced such widespread disruption from a typhoon.

Businesses and Services Suspended in Jinshan

Authorities in Shanghai's Jinshan district allowed non-essential businesses and organisations to temporarily suspend operations as forecasts called for more heavy rain and strong winds.

Classes, outdoor activities and some transport services were also affected as officials responded to the continuing weather conditions.

Heavy Rain Continues Across Eastern Provinces

Dolphin's remaining rain bands brought heavy rainfall to Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong on Monday.

In Zhejiang's Wenzhou, powerful winds and rain overturned a truck, according to a video posted on TikTok on Sunday. It was not immediately clear what happened to the driver.

Authorities warned that 74 rivers in the Taihu Lake basin and coastal areas of eastern Zhejiang had risen above warning levels. Officials also cautioned that small and medium-sized rivers in areas receiving heavy rain faced a high risk of flooding.

Beijing Prepares for Heavy Rain

The effects of Typhoon Dolphin are expected to extend farther inland. The storm is forecast to move towards China's central provinces of Hubei and Henan in the coming days while also carrying moisture towards northern areas.

Beijing authorities issued warnings about torrential rain and said the city was prepared to activate its flood-control response from Tuesday morning.

The capital is expected to receive significant rainfall from Tuesday through Thursday, with officials warning of possible flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas surrounding the city.

Dolphin had travelled about 6,000 km (3,728 miles) before reaching China's coast. CCTV said the journey gave the storm a life cycle around three times longer than that of an ordinary typhoon and helped create an unusually large cloud system covering eastern China.

Typhoon Dolphin Compared With Doksuri

The storm's impact has also drawn comparisons with Typhoon Doksuri, which crossed China in 2023 after causing destruction in southeastern Fujian province and contributing to record rainfall in Beijing.

As Dolphin's cloud system moves north and encounters colder air, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are expected to face heavy rain through Thursday, CCTV reported.

Hong Kong Records Record Heat

While northern and eastern parts of China dealt with heavy rain, Hong Kong experienced extreme heat linked to Dolphin's influence.

Hong Kong recorded a temperature of 36.9°C on Sunday, its hottest day since records began in 1884, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

2026 Typhoon Season Expected to Be Highly Active

Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) expects the 2026 northwest Pacific typhoon season to be among the most active on record.

The organisation forecasts 28 tropical storms, 20 typhoons and 13 intense typhoons during the season.

TSR said an ongoing strong El Niño event, high activity so far and weaker-than-normal trade winds across the northwest Pacific basin were among the factors behind expectations for an intense typhoon season.

#Global News #China #Global Updates #World News