Typhoon Dolphin hits eastern China after mass evacuations, 1,300 flight cancellations

BEIJING — Typhoon Dolphin struck China’s eastern coast Sunday evening after forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate and prompting Shanghai’s two major airports to cancel more than 1,300 flights.The storm made landfall in Taizhou in Zhejiang province and affected northern parts of neighboring Fujian province, bringing winds estimated at 151 kilometers per hour (93 mph) and massive waves along the coast.Heavy rainfall raised the risk of severe flooding across Zhejiang, while authorities also warned of a heightened danger of landslides.Forecasters said some areas could receive between 200 and 400 millimeters (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the coming days.In Shanghai, Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled about 60% of flights scheduled for Sunday, amounting to more than 1,300 cancellations, according to the city’s state media outlet The Paper.Authorities in Zhejiang evacuated around 390,000 people in Taizhou on Saturday evening ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, while more than 30,000 people were moved from high-risk areas in Shanghai.Zhejiang also suspended water-based activities, including ferry and cruise services, as authorities prepared for the storm.Before reaching mainland China, Dolphin’s outer bands swept across northern Taiwan on Saturday, bringing heavy rain to areas including the capital, Taipei.Some Taiwanese airlines also canceled flights to China on Sunday as the storm approached the mainland.