Storms from Dolphin soak China's east, disrupt life in Shanghai

Heavy rain and fierce storms from Typhoon Dolphin have inundated eastern China, particularly Shanghai, causing widespread flooding and disrupting daily life. Upon making landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday, Dolphin sustained maximum winds of 151 km/h, before weakening to a tropical storm. Rain clouds persisted, soaking other eastern provinces such as Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong on Monday.

Shanghai's two airports canceled 943 flights, cutting capacity by nearly 40 percent due to the typhoon. Live videos shared by residents on social media depicted knee-deep murky water in suburban Jiading and Qingpu districts, with people wading through flooded streets. 39-year-old saleswoman Hou Lina, who has lived in Shanghai for 10 years, described this as the worst typhoon she has experienced, with the worst flooding she has ever seen.

In Shanghai's Jinshan district, non-essential businesses and organizations were temporarily halted, along with classes, outdoor events, and transit services, as forecasts predicted continued strong winds and heavy rain. A video posted on TikTok showed a truck flipped over in Zhejiang's Wenzhou by the storm's powerful winds and lashing rain. The fate of the driver remains unknown.

Forecasters predict Dolphin will move deeper inland to central provinces Hubei and Henan, while also pushing moisture north. Beijing officials raised warnings for torrential rain and prepared to activate flood control measures on Tuesday morning. The typhoon traveled 6,000 km before making landfall, three times longer than an ordinary typhoon, bringing an ultra-large cloud system that enveloped China's east.

Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are expected to face rain into Thursday as the storm clouds meet colder air in the north.