Typhoon Dolphin sets rainfall records across eastern, central China

Fourteen national-level meteorological stations recorded daily rainfall that broke all-time records from Saturday to Wednesday, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

The affected areas — Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hubei, Henan and Hebei — were hit by Typhoon Dolphin and its residual circulation, combined with cold air, with 47 stations surpassing their August records. Zhejiang recorded its highest total rainfall from a typhoon since 1949.

Formed on July 27, Typhoon Dolphin traveled more than 7,000 kilometers northwest before making two landfalls in Zhejiang on Sunday. It then moved through Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui and Hubei provinces before the central meteorological observatory ceased numbering it on Tuesday.

From Saturday to Wednesday, cumulative rainfall reached 100 to 300 millimeters across most of Zhejiang, Shanghai, Anhui, as well as parts of Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan, Hebei and Beijing.

During the period, areas in Taizhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou in Zhejiang, Jinshan in Shanghai, and Xiangyang in Hubei received cumulative rainfall of 500 to 800 mm. The maximum cumulative rainfall reached 975.9 mm in Taizhou.