Full Breakdown
Typhoon Dolphin’s Sweep Across China: Floods, Evacuations and Disruptions
8/12/2026, 5:59:19 AM
Core Event – Landfall and Inland Progression
On August 10, Typhoon Dolphin made landfall on the coast of Taizhou in Zhejiang Province and again near Yueqing that evening, according to Xinhua and CCTV. The system entered China with sustained winds of 151 km/h (93 mph). By August 11 it had moved inland to Hubei and the outskirts of Beijing, downgraded to a tropical storm but still producing extreme rainfall.
Background & Context
Dolphin was the strongest tropical cyclone to hit China in 2026 and travelled roughly 6,000 km (3,700 mi) before landfall, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).
Data & Statistics
- Transportation impacts: Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled more than 900 flights—about 40 % of scheduled departures. China Railway Chengdu Group suspended 115 trains.
- Evacuations: Reported relocation figures range from 760,000 to “more than one million.” Provincial counts include 215,600 from Shanghai, 390,000 from Taizhou, 160,000 from Fujian and over 900,000 from Wenzhou.
- Rainfall records: A Shanghai station recorded 312.9 mm in 24 hours, the highest in over 150 years. Beijing’s Shunyi District logged 88.5 mm in one hour; forecasts projected more than 150 mm city-wide within 24 hours. Hubei’s northwest was expected to receive up to 250 mm in a day.
- Philippines landslides: The Office of Civil Defense in the Philippines reported five deaths and five missing after a Baguio landslide; other outlets cited higher tolls.
Official Statements & Responses
- The NMC activated an orange heavy-rain alert, later a red alert as Dolphin approached, and renewed the orange alert for Hubei on August 11.
- Beijing’s Ministry of Water Resources dispatched over 250 flood-control teams and ordered barriers at subway stations, hospitals and elderly-care facilities. Four districts activated the highest emergency flood response.
- Zhejiang authorities in Yueqing searched for residents trapped in flooded homes.
- Hubei’s provincial meteorological observatory warned that the storm’s airflow would be forced upward by western mountains, intensifying rainfall.
- Shanghai’s airport authority posted online about the flight cancellations and urged passengers to work from home.
On-the-Ground Reports
- Shanghai streets were flooded to more than 30 cm, with electric scooters and buses partially submerged; a resident expressed concern about rising waters.
- In Beijing, images on the Rednote platform showed buses and cars partially underwater in Shunyi District.
- Baguio officials rescued three people alive from a landslide; five bodies were recovered and five remained missing.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Evacuation totals differ: AP cites 760,000 displaced, while Reuters and The Guardian reference “more than one million.”
- Philippines death toll varies: AP reports five fatalities, Euronews ten, and The Guardian nineteen.
- Casualty figures in China remain unconfirmed; no official death count has been released.
Why It Matters – Climate and Economic Implications
Scientists warned that extreme-weather intensity is rising with global warming. Hubei, a hub for automobile and high-tech manufacturing, saw 107 major highway and waterway projects suspended, with 26 high-risk projects halted. The shutdown of transport and tourism sites underscores the storm’s economic disruption.
What’s Next
The NMC forecasts continued torrential rain across eastern and central China through August 12, with some areas expected to receive up to 350 mm. Authorities in Beijing and Hubei remain on high alert for flash floods and landslides, and emergency teams are positioned to activate additional flood-control measures if rainfall exceeds projections.
