Typhoon Dolphin hits Zhejiang, rain to move northward

Typhoon Dolphin made double landfall in East China's Zhejiang province on Sunday evening, bringing strong winds, high waves and heavy rain. The typhoon is expected to weaken as it moves inland and northward, reaching North China in the coming days.

Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year, made its first landfall in Kanmen subdistrict of Yuhuan, Taizhou, at around 5:30 pm as a strong typhoon, with the maximum sustained wind speed at its center exceeding 150 kilometers per hour, according to the National Meteorological Center. The typhoon then made a second landfall in Yueqing, Zhejiang, about 70 minutes later.

Ahead of its arrival, coastal cities across Zhejiang scaled up their emergency response systems. Wenzhou, Taizhou and Ningbo activated Level I responses, the highest in China's four-tier system, while Hangzhou activated Level II.

In Taizhou, all 3,815 fishing vessels were berthed in safe waters, and work was suspended at 29 coastal water-related projects. Wenzhou imposed citywide suspension of classes, work, production, transportation and business operations.

The National Meteorological Center issued a red typhoon alert, its highest-level warning, on Sunday morning. It was the second such alert this year, following one for Typhoon Noul in late July.

The storm caused widespread travel disruptions across the Yangtze River Delta. More than 1,000 flights were canceled on Sunday, while some railway services and ferry routes were suspended.

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport canceled 388 inbound and outbound flights, mostly scheduled for the afternoon. Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao airports canceled more than 1,300 flights, nearly 60 percent of scheduled services.

Authorities also moved people living in vulnerable areas to safety. In Hangzhou's Xiaoshan district, for example, a shelter at Jinshan Junior High School had become a temporary home for 231 construction workers by Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday evening, authorities in Zhejiang evacuated some 390,000 people in Taizhou. Authorities in Shanghai evacuated more than 30,000 people from risk-prone areas.

Dolphin's impact is expected to last for days. Dong Lin, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, said its circulation spans about 1,300 kilometers, contributing to a broad and prolonged wind and rain impact.

Through Monday, heavy rainfall is expected mainly in areas south of the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, including parts of Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan and Shandong.

The rain belt is expected to move northward beginning Tuesday as Dolphin's residual circulation moves inland. According to the Beijing Meteorological Service, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is forecast to see heavy rainfall from Monday night through Friday.