China’s national observatory issued a red alert — the highest level in the country’s typhoon warning system as Typhoon Dolphin hit Zhejiang province on the eastern coast on Sunday (August 9, 2026) afternoon.

Typhoon Dolphin made landfall along the country’s east coast from Sanmen in Zhejiang Province to Fuding in Fujian Province, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said.

Wang Haiping, NMC chief forecaster, said a high alert was required due to the typhoon’s heavy rainfall intensity, extensive impact range and prolonged duration.

From Sunday (August 9, 2026) to Wednesday (August 12, 2026), regions including northern Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, eastern Hubei, central and eastern Henan, and southern Shandong will be hit by heavy downpours, with some areas in central-eastern Zhejiang and southern Anhui facing severe torrential rain.

Addressing key areas of prevention, Mr. Wang said the coastal areas of East China and the East China Sea need to focus on guarding against gale-force winds.

From Sunday (August 9, 2026) to Tuesday (August 12, 2026), most parts of the East China Sea, Hangzhou Bay, the coastal areas of Zhejiang, and the Yangtze River Estuary are expected to experience winds of Force 9 to 12, with gusts reaching Force 11 to 14, while gusts near the typhoon centre could reach Force 15 to 16, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Relevant provinces also need to guard against secondary disasters triggered by persistent heavy rainfall. The risks of mountain torrents, geological disasters, and flash floods in small and medium-sized rivers are relatively high in Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, and Hebei, while some cities face high risks of urban waterlogging.

NMC forecasts Typhoon Dolphin to move northwestward and gradually weaken after landfall. After Wednesday (August 12, 2026), the weakened remnant vortex will turn northward.

A typhoon remnant vortex is a persistent low-pressure system that continues to exist after a tropical cyclone makes landfall and loses its primary energy source from the ocean.

“A typhoon’s landfall does not mean its impact is over. After Dolphin makes landfall, it will push further inland,” Mr. Wang said.

From Thursday (August 13, 2026) to Sunday (August 16, 2026), the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, northern Shandong and Liaoning are likely to see heavy rainfall, with some areas expected to experience severe torrential rain. In response to the typhoon, China’s meteorological authority on Sunday (August 9, 2026) upgraded its emergency response for severe meteorological disasters from Level III to Level II.

Shanghai’s two airports cancelled more than 1,300 flights and authorities relocated some 300,000 people in surrounding regions as China prepared for Typhoon Dolphin, after the storm brought heavy rains to northern Taiwan.

The outer bands of the storm on Saturday (August 8, 2026) hit northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, bringing rain. Some Taiwanese airlines also cancelled their flights to China on Sunday (August 9).

The storm’s maximum sustained winds were estimated at about 162 kilometres per hour as of Sunday (August 9) morning. It is bringing heavy rains, creating a risk of severe flooding as well as landslides and is expected to hit Zhejiang province and northern parts of neighbouring Fujian province late on Sunday.

Forecasters in China said that areas could see 200-400 mm (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the next few days. Authorities are warning of severe landslide risks in Zhejiang.

Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports respectively also cancelled about 60% of Sunday’s expected flights, according to the Paper, Shanghai’s state media.

On Saturday evening, authorities in Zhejiang evacuated some 390,000 people in the city of Taizhou. Authorities in Shanghai evacuated some 30,000 plus from riskier areas.

Zhejiang authorities also suspended all water-based activities, including ferries and cruises.

Typhoon ​Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday (August 8, 2026), injuring six people and ⁠cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, while China shut ports and halted ferries ahead of the storm’s expected arrival on its east coast.

Five elderly people, three of whom fell due ‌to strong winds, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in Okinawa while another person was injured in Kagoshima prefecture, authorities said.

Nearly 39,000 buildings were without power ‌in Kagoshima while just over 12,000 were affected in Okinawa. Domestic airlines, ANA and ‌Japan ⁠Airlines, cancelled flights to and from Okinawa.

The typhoon had maximum sustained ⁠winds of 162 kph (89.5 mph) with gusts reaching 216 kph.

Okinawa and Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture are the main areas expected to be affected in Japan.

In China, where the typhoon is expected to ​make landfall between late Sunday and early ‌Monday, authorities have designated Dolphin as an orange-category typhoon — the second-highest level.

Worried about the risk of flooding and landslides, authorities also raised the emergency response level for Dolphin by one notch to level III, the second-lowest level.

The typhoon is most ‌likely to make landfall between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding ​city in Fujian province and is expected to bring winds of 38-45 metres per second (85-101 mph) near its centre, according to China’s ⁠National Meteorological Center.

Ports and airports halt operations

Rain and strong winds are expected to affect eastern China through August 12, including parts of Shanghai and neighbouring provinces. Some areas of ‌eastern Zhejiang could receive more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain, according to forecasters.

Zhejiang raised its coastal typhoon alert to its highest level, halted port operations and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes. Fujian also suspended ferry routes.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang said it will halt operations from 11:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) on Saturday (August 8, 2026) and suspend all flights on Sunday. Shanghai’s Yangshan port had been cleared of vessels by late ‌Friday, while some rail services in the Yangtze River Delta will be suspended from Sunday.

In Taiwan, ​78 international flights were cancelled because of the typhoon, the government said. Heavy rain was expected in northern parts of the island over ⁠the weekend, though authorities had not ordered evacuations as of Saturday.

China has ordered that, ⁠due to the typhoon, ships passing through the Taiwan Strait must heed its traffic control instructions — measures that Taipei denounced as “ridiculous”, saying that Beijing has no ‌right to restrict access to international waters.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and claims the strategic strait. Both Taipei and Washington reject that ​claim.