Authorities in China have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people along the country's east coast after Typhoon Dolphin made landfall, bringing heavy rain and flooding, state media reported on Monday.
According to Xinhua, about 167,900 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas on land and at sea in Fujian Province as of 7 am local time on Monday. By late Sunday, Shanghai had evacuated around 215,600 people from areas considered at risk.
Dolphin makes two landfalls in Zhejiang
Dolphin was the 13th typhoon of the year. China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said the storm made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Sunday.
Although authorities have downgraded Dolphin to a tropical storm, warnings remain in place for torrential rain, severe flooding and landslides through Wednesday.
Authorities issued a blue typhoon warning on Monday morning, forecasting persistent heavy rainfall through Wednesday in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan and Hebei. Some areas are expected to experience torrential rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, Xinhua reported.
Typhoon travelled 6,000 km before landfall
The storm travelled more than 6,000 km before making landfall in China, indicating a lifespan more than three times that of an average typhoon, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.
State media, citing the NMC, reported that from Thursday, the remnants of Dolphin are expected to move northward and interact with cold air. This could bring significant rainfall to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Liaoning.
Beijing to activate Level II flood response
Meteorological experts warned that the typhoon could increase the risk of flooding and other disasters in some areas. They called for stronger measures to prevent geological disasters and flooding in small and medium-sized rivers.
Beijing's flood control authorities said the city plans to activate a Level II flood response on Tuesday morning.
Dolphin hits Philippines, Taiwan and Japan
Before making landfall in China, Dolphin brought torrential rain to the Philippines, parts of northern Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa island.
