Hundreds more flights are canceled as Tropical Storm Dolphin causes flooding in eastern China

Shanghai airports canceled more than 900 flights on Monday, accounting for about 40% of the expected flights, due to Tropical Storm Dolphin's heavy rain causing flooding in eastern China. The storm, which had previously made landfall as a typhoon in China, dumped significant rainfall leading to flooding in various locations. Shanghai's Hongqiao and Pudong airports were among the hardest hit, canceling hundreds of flights.

In addition to flight cancellations, Shanghai also suspended some of its metro lines. China Railway Chengdu Group, on the other hand, suspended 115 trains. Authorities in the country issued warnings about the potential for severe flooding and landslides in certain areas.

In Yueqing, a city in Zhejiang province, authorities searched for individuals trapped in their flooded homes. The China Meteorological Administration reported that Tropical Storm Dolphin was moving northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour and was anticipated to weaken further. Dolphin initially made landfall on Sunday evening in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, with winds of 151 kph (93 mph), after having already brought heavy rain to northern Taiwan over the weekend.

The storm had forced a substantial number of people to evacuate their homes preemptively. In Taizhou alone, over 390,000 people were relocated, while Shanghai and Fujian Province evacuated over 210,000 and 160,000 people, respectively, from riskier areas.

Authorities in Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital city, temporarily closed the city's iconic West Lake scenic spots, temples, parks, and museums, with a plan to reopen on Tuesday. Further south, Tropical Storm Chan-hom was making its way towards Japan's Pacific coast, with winds of 83 kph (51 mph) and a forecast to intensify slightly before making landfall in Japan on Tuesday or Wednesday.

While Tropical Storm Dolphin did not directly impact the Philippines, it did contribute to intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the region, resulting in flooding and landslides in Luzon, particularly in the northern island. A landslide in Baguio, a northern mountain resort city, buried three houses and killed 10 people, whose bodies were eventually recovered after two days of intense search efforts by rescuers.

Three individuals sustained injuries during the incident and were taken to a hospital. The death toll from the mudslide, alongside the earlier rains and flooding, reached 19, with more than a million people affected by the heavy monsoon rains and floods, including approximately 98,000 who were displaced from their homes.