Typhoon Dolphin set to hit China's east coast, triggering flood warnings

Typhoon Dolphin is expected to strike China's eastern coastline overnight Sunday, delivering heavy rain and strong winds, prompting authorities to prepare for flooding and landslides across eastern China. The typhoon has already impacted Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, causing injuries to six individuals and power outages to over 50,000 buildings.

Authorities have evacuated offshore workers, halted vessels, and heightened surveillance at reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites, and tourist destinations. The storm is anticipated to make landfall on Sunday evening, intensify into a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 162 kilometers per hour, and weaken before moving inland on Monday.

Forecasters predict torrential rain through August 10 across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu, with some regions potentially receiving 250-500 mm of rainfall. Post-landfall, Dolphin is expected to travel westward, potentially prolonging heavy rain and increasing the likelihood of flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous regions and along smaller rivers.

The water resources ministry has issued a Level III flood emergency in Zhejiang and Fujian, and Level IV emergencies in Jiangsu and Anhui. The emergency management ministry has dispatched teams to Zhejiang and Fujian, while China's geological-disaster response has been elevated to Level III in Zhejiang and Level IV in Anhui, warning of landslides and other hazards in eastern Zhejiang and western Anhui.

Authorities have cautioned of a high risk of geological disasters in certain parts of Zhejiang, and residents in areas marked by the red mountain-torrent warning are advised to heed evacuation orders. Shanghai's Yangshan port has cleared ships from its docks and relocated more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to safety in anticipation of Dolphin.