China braces for Typhoon Dolphin, flood warnings issued on east coast

China’s east coast tightened defenses as Typhoon Dolphin moved toward landfall, with ports shut, ferries halted and Zhejiang raising its coastal typhoon alert to the highest level. The storm had already struck Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, underscoring how quickly the system could turn disruptive for exposed coastal communities.

Flood warnings spread across the shoreline from Zhejiang toward Fujian, where dense cities, factories, warehouses and transport corridors sit close to low-lying ground. More than 1,300 flights were canceled in Shanghai and nearby areas, and schools and tourist sites were closed in parts of eastern China as authorities tried to clear people from the most exposed places before the worst rain arrived.

Forecasts called for 200 to 400 millimeters of rain across a wide area, with isolated totals approaching 600 millimeters, enough to overwhelm drainage systems and push water into neighborhoods, roads and transit links. The Water Resources Ministry warned that the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could see major flooding, adding pressure to districts already vulnerable to storm surge, flash flooding and landslides.

The response showed how a typhoon in China is a test not just of wind resistance but of the region’s entire coastal system. Ports along the eastern seaboard handle cargo for one of the country’s busiest manufacturing belts, and ferry suspensions, flight cancellations and transport slowdowns can ripple through supply chains within hours. In a region where millions live and work near the coast, officials were forced to weigh evacuation, evacuation timing and drainage capacity against the speed of the storm’s approach.

Dolphin was the year’s 13th named storm, and earlier analysis had placed it at Category 5 strength in the Northwest Pacific, making it the planet’s fifth Category 5 cyclone of 2026. That intensity helped explain why local governments moved early with closures and flood alerts rather than waiting for landfall, as heavy rain and river flooding posed the clearest threat to life and infrastructure.