Typhoon Dolphin disrupts travel, weakens after China landfall

Typhoon Dolphin dumped heavy rain across eastern China on Monday, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations and suspending some public transport, even as the storm weakened after making two landfalls in Zhejiang province. China's National Meteorological Centre issued its lowest-level typhoon alert in the morning, but cautioned that parts of east and central China would continue to experience heavy rainfall through the next day.

Storm loses strength but rain persists

Dolphin made landfall twice along the coast of Zhejiang on Sunday, losing much of its intensity in the process. By Monday morning, the national weather agency had downgraded its warning to the least severe tier, signaling that the immediate threat of hurricane-force winds had subsided. However, the system still carried abundant moisture, and forecasters warned of persistent downpours across a wide swath of the country.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities issued their most severe flash flood alert for parts of eastern and southern Zhejiang on Monday. Mountainous areas in those regions face heightened risks of landslides and flash flooding as saturated soils struggle to absorb additional rainfall.

Travel chaos and gradual recovery

The storm's impact on transportation was severe, particularly in China's financial hub. Shanghai's two main passenger airports saw 943 flights cancelled, according to the airport authority's online notice. Public transport services, including many local train routes, were suspended in the city, stranding commuters and travelers alike.

Further south, Zhejiang's Ningbo international airport announced it would resume flight operations from midday on Monday, though officials warned that some journeys might still face delays or cancellations because the typhoon's effects had not completely dissipated.

In the provincial capital Hangzhou, subway services were restored on Monday morning after being partially halted the previous day. The resumption of public transit in major cities suggested that the region was beginning to recover from the storm's disruption, even as clean-up efforts continued in the hardest-hit areas.

A season of extreme weather

Typhoon Dolphin is the latest in a series of powerful storms to affect China this year. Just two weeks earlier, Typhoon Noul struck southern Guangdong province, which authorities at the time described as the strongest storm to hit the country in 2026. The back-to-back systems have strained local emergency response resources.

Last month, the southern Guangxi region experienced devastating floods after Typhoon Maysak, killing 39 people. Maysak also spawned thunderstorms and gale-force winds in the central province of Hubei, leaving 11 dead and 331 injured. These events underscore the escalating threat posed by extreme weather in a rapidly warming climate.

Scientists have long warned that the intensity and frequency of such phenomena will continue to rise as global temperatures increase due to fossil fuel emissions. China, as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is under pressure to address its contribution to climate change. At the same time, the country has become a global renewable energy leader and has committed to making its economy carbon-neutral by 2060.

Looking ahead

As Dolphin moves inland and dissipates, the immediate focus shifts to recovery and disaster response. The heavy rain warnings for east and central China suggest that flood risks will persist over the coming days, and local authorities remain on high alert for potential emergencies.

But the broader lesson is inescapable: China's infrastructure and emergency systems must adapt to a future with more intense storms. The repeated battering from typhoons this season—Noul, Maysak, and now Dolphin—offers a stark reminder that climate resilience is not a luxury but a necessity. Investments in flood control, early warning systems, and sustainable urban planning will be critical as the nation works to balance development with the growing volatility of the natural world.