China's most powerful storm of 2026 triggers largest typhoon displacement of the year as red alert remains in force
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall near Yuhuan in southeastern Zhejiang province at approximately 5:30pm local time (0930 GMT) on Sunday, according to China's National Meteorological Centre. Maximum sustained winds at landfall measured 151 km/h, the NMC confirmed, making Dolphin the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike China so far this year.
More than 1 million people have been evacuated across eastern China, according to Xinhua, marking the largest typhoon-related displacement in the country in 2026. Wenzhou relocated more than 900,000 residents and opened over 1,000 emergency shelters, Xinhua reports. Taizhou evacuated roughly 390,000 people by Saturday evening. Fujian province moved 98,900 people from high-risk areas, according to Xinhua, while Shanghai evacuated at least 30,300 residents, per state media.
Red alert triggers mass shutdowns
The NMC issued a red typhoon alert — its highest warning level — on Sunday morning. Zhejiang raised its coastal typhoon alert to Level I, the province's severest classification. Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu activated Level III emergency responses; Fujian did the same.
More than 1,600 flights were cancelled across eastern China, according to the state broadcaster CCTV. Shanghai's Hongqiao and Pudong airports cancelled roughly 1,300 to 1,500 flights, VariFlight reports, about 60% of Sunday's schedule. Ningbo Lishe International Airport suspended all flights Sunday. More than 200 ferry routes were suspended across Zhejiang and Fujian, Xinhua reports; Zhejiang halted all 162 of its passenger ferry routes.
In Wenling's Shitang township in Taizhou, a 9-year-old boy was swept away by a large wave while watching the storm with his family, local authorities said. Search-and-rescue operations were ongoing as of Sunday evening.
Observers are reading: Why Dolphin's forecast slowdown inland could matter more than its landfall winds.
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Storm also hit Japan and Taiwan
Dolphin battered Japan's Okinawa Prefecture on 7-8 August before reaching China, injuring six people, according to Japanese authorities, and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. Naha International Airport closed Friday. Outer bands struck northern Taiwan, including Taipei, on Saturday, prompting 63 to 78 international flight cancellations; no evacuations were ordered there. Dolphin is forecast to track northwest over eastern China through Monday and weaken as it moves inland, the NMC said.
Dolphin marks the second mass typhoon evacuation in China within a month, following Bavi's displacement of 360,000 in Liaoning in July. Scientists cite this year's strong El Niño pattern as a factor capable of intensifying tropical cyclones. Emergency responders across Zhejiang, Fujian and Shanghai remain on alert as rainfall continues into Monday.
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