Tropical Storm Dolphin Causes Widespread Travel Disruptions and Evacuations in Eastern China

Tropical Storm Dolphin caused extensive flooding and travel disruptions across eastern China after making landfall in Zhejiang Province on Sunday. In Shanghai, the Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled 943 flights, representing approximately 40 percent of expected traffic. Public transportation was also impacted, with Shanghai suspending some metro lines and China Railway Chengdu Group suspending 115 trains. While some services in cities like Hangzhou and Ningbo began to restore on Monday, authorities warned that the effects of the storm had not completely dissipated.

Evacuations were widespread across the region. Reports indicate that over 1 million people were relocated, including more than 900,000 in the port city of Wenzhou, 210,000 in Shanghai, and 160,000 in Fujian Province. In Zhejiang, authorities issued severe flash flood alerts, and search operations were conducted for people trapped in flooded homes in the city of Yueqing. The China Meteorological Administration stated that the storm was moving northwest and expected to continue weakening.

The storm's impact extended beyond mainland China. It brought heavy rain to northern Taiwan and intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines. In the northern Luzon region of the Philippines, torrential rains and a landslide in Baguio killed 10 people on Sunday night, bringing the regional death toll to 19 and affecting over 1 million people. Additionally, Tropical Storm Chan hom was reported to be heading toward the Pacific coast of Japan.