Authorities across eastern China shut schools, sealed off tourist sites and halted water-based transport on Saturday as Typhoon Dolphin advanced toward the coast, threatening heavy rain, flooding and landslides across Zhejiang, Fujian and Shanghai.
The storm carried maximum sustained winds of about 162 kilometers per hour (101 mph) and was forecast to make landfall over Zhejiang province and the northern reaches of neighboring Fujian late Sunday. Shanghai, one of the country’s largest cities and a key financial hub, lies directly in the projected path.
National authorities declared a level III emergency response, the second lowest on China’s four-tier scale. Many tourist destinations in Zhejiang were closed for the weekend, alongside all ferries, cruises and other water-based activities. In the coastal city of Ningbo, officials ordered schools and educational facilities to remain shut through the weekend.
The approaching system also triggered widespread travel disruption. Airports in Ningbo, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai reported cancellations, with carriers offering flexible rebooking and refund options for affected passengers. Some travelers said they had been notified that flights to and from Shanghai on Sunday and Monday would be scrapped.
Several ports along the coast were closed ahead of the expected landfall, a precautionary step familiar to a region that regularly braces for late-summer storms. The preparations echoed the sweeping shutdowns seen during earlier typhoon threats, when authorities suspended transport and evacuated vulnerable areas.
Before reaching the mainland, Dolphin struck Japan’s Okinawa region. Five elderly people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including three who fell due to strong winds, as the storm swept past the islands on Friday.
The typhoon’s reach extended well beyond its center. In Hong Kong, the outer subsiding airflow drove extreme heat across the city and neighboring Guangdong province. “As of 4pm, the maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory was 34.7 degrees, the highest so far this year,” the Hong Kong Observatory said, with parts of the city exceeding 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).
Forecasters expect the sweltering conditions across southern China to persist into early next week, even as the coastal provinces further north contend with heavy rainfall and rising flood risk.
Officials have urged residents in affected areas to avoid coastal zones, secure loose objects and heed evacuation instructions. The full impact will depend on the storm’s precise track and intensity at landfall, expected late Sunday.