Heavy rainfall and strong winds prompted flood alerts and more than 1,000 flight cancellations across China on Monday, even as Typhoon Dolphin weakened.
China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC) issued its least severe typhoon alert on Monday morning as the storm lost power after making landfall in China’s Zhejiang Province on Sunday.
Despite the weaker storm, the NMC warned that parts of east and central China will continue to receive heavy rainfall. Authorities issued their most severe flash flood alert for parts of eastern and southern Zhejiang on Monday, state news broadcaster CCTV reported.
Five districts in Beijing are also under red alerts for heavy rainfall on Monday, with risks of landslides and flooding.
The storm had already forced over 300,000 people in eastern China to preemptively relocate, while bringing heavy rainfall to northern Taiwan over the weekend. In Shanghai, authorities evacuated more than 30,000 people out of high-risk areas. Overall, some one million people have been told to seek shelter.
Typhoon Dolphin disrupts transport in Shanghai
Shanghai’s two main passenger airports, Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport, canceled 943 flights between them for Monday, the airport authority said in a post online. That’s a reduction of capacity by nearly 40%.
On Sunday, the two airports had cancelled nearly 1,500 flights, or about 60% of their scheduled travel, according to state media.
Public transport services in the city were also impacted, with several local trains suspended.
At the same time, Zhejiang province began to resume its transport facilities.
Zhejiang’s Ningbo International Airport will resume flights midday on Monday but warned that some of the scheduled travel may still be delayed or canceled as the storm had “not yet completely dissipated.”
China is dealing with Typhoon Dolphin just two weeks after Typhoon Noul struck its southern Guangdong province. Last month, Typhoon Maysak killed 11 people and injured over 300 in the central Hubei province.
Extreme weather systems are a common feature in China this time of the year, with typhoons leaving significant displacement, infrastructural damage and loss of lives. Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of such extreme weather have increased and will continue to rise amid climate change.
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Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
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