Typhoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, has made landfall on the country’s east coast, bringing torrential rain and strong winds and triggering warnings of flooding and landslides.
The storm has already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings.
Dolphin made landfall near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province at about 5:30 pm (0930 GMT) on Sunday, China’s meteorological authorities said. It brought maximum sustained winds of 94mph (151 km/h) near its centre at landfall, equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
In addition to evacuating at least 30,300 people, Shanghai has cancelled about 1,500 flights, according to the flight-tracking data provider VariFlight.
Authorities moved offshore workers to safety, ordered vessels back to port and increased checks at reservoirs, mountain streams, landslide-prone areas, construction sites and tourist locations.
Torrential rain is forecast for Monday across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, north-eastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu. Parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive 250-500 mm (10-20 inches) of rain, according to forecasters.
Dolphin is forecast to track westward before slowing over central and south-western China and gradually losing strength, the chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, Wang Haiping, told the state broadcaster CCTV.
That could prolong heavy rain and increase the risk of flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous areas and along smaller rivers.
Transport was widely disrupted across the east of the country and more than a million people were evacuated from their homes.
A 42-year-old tourist from Guangdong, surnamed Chen, said he had been stranded in Shanghai after his family’s flight, scheduled to depart on Sunday, was cancelled.
He said the family had been rebooked on a flight at 10 pm on Monday, although they were unsure whether it would be able to take off.
“To us Guangdong people, this typhoon is as ordinary as having a meal and feeling the wind. It’s just part of everyday life,” he said, adding that the storm did not appear particularly strong by the standards of China’s southern coast.
In neighbouring Zhejiang province, the city of Wenzhou relocated more than 900,000 people and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters.
In Fujian province, authorities evacuated 98,900 people from high-risk areas, according to Xinhua.
Fujian maritime authorities said 55 coastal passenger ferry routes had been suspended, all 115 offshore construction projects halted and 290 construction vessels moved to sheltered waters.
The water resources ministry said the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could experience major flooding, while smaller rivers in the hardest-hit areas could rise above warning levels.
Authorities issued an alert for the risk of geological disasters in parts of Zhejiang. Residents in areas covered by a red mountain-torrent warning were told to follow local evacuation orders.
Shanghai’s Yangshan port cleared ships from its berths and moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelter as Dolphin approached, the city’s maritime safety administration said.
Scientists say global warming has made extreme weather more likely, including more powerful typhoons.
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