Shanghai cancels at least 1,300 flights as Typhoon Dolphin hits China's eastern coast

Beijing, August 10 - Typhoon Dolphin battered eastern China with torrential rain, resulting in hundreds of flight cancellations, despite the storm weakening and some cities reinstating public transportation. The weather system has weakened after making two landfalls along China's eastern coast, with China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC) issuing its mildest typhoon alert this morning.

Nevertheless, the NMC cautioned that heavy rain would persist in parts of eastern and central China for the next day. Authorities raised their most severe flash flood alert for specific areas in eastern and southern Zhejiang, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Shanghai's two primary passenger airports saw 943 flights grounded, as reported by the airport authority on their website. Public transportation services, encompassing numerous local trains, were suspended in Shanghai due to the typhoon's impact. The Ningbo international airport in Zhejiang was set to resume flight operations around midday (0400 GMT), but warned that some journeys might still be delayed or cancelled, as the typhoon's effects had not fully subsided.

Hangzhou's provincial capital resumed subway services this morning after halting some train operations the previous day.

Northern China anticipated extreme weather conditions throughout the week, with five districts in Beijing issuing red alerts for heavy rain, with some warnings of landslide and flooding risks. Typhoon Dolphin issued a top-level alert over the weekend, leading to over 1,000 flight cancellations and tens of thousands of evacuations.

The typhoon struck two weeks after Typhoon Noul hit southern Guangdong province, which was described as the strongest storm to hit China this year by authorities. Last month, extreme weather wreaked havoc across southern and central China, killing 39 people when Typhoon Maysak triggered devastating floods in the southern Guangxi region.

Maysak also caused thunderstorms and gale-force winds that resulted in 11 fatalities and injured 331 in Hubei province. Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will escalate as the planet continues to warm due to fossil fuel emissions. China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but it is also a global leader in renewable energy and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.