Typhoon Dolphin rages in China: meteorologists declare red alert due to strong winds and heavy rains

Following the devastation in Taiwan, Typhoon Dolphin is moving towards China. Heavy precipitation was observed in northern Taiwan. China has begun preparing for the natural disaster. Specifically, over 1300 flights were cancelled at two Shanghai airports due to heavy rain and gusts of wind. Authorities evacuated about three hundred thousand people from adjacent areas.

On Saturday, Typhoon Dolphin struck northern Taiwan, causing stormy winds and heavy rains. Due to adverse weather conditions, some Taiwanese airlines cancelled their flights to China for Sunday.

By Sunday morning, the maximum wind speed in the storm reached approximately 162 kilometers per hour. Due to intense rainfall in several regions of China, the risk of flooding and landslides has increased. According to meteorological service forecasts, the typhoon may affect the northern areas of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces late on Sunday.

Chinese meteorologists predict that between 200 and 400 mm of precipitation may fall in these areas over the next few days. Zhejiang authorities are warning of a serious landslide threat, and population evacuation is underway due to the potential danger.

According to official data from the Shanghai state media 'The Paper', Hongqiao and Pudong airports in Shanghai also cancelled about 60 percent of flights on Sunday due to bad weather.

On Saturday evening, Zhejiang authorities relocated about three hundred ninety thousand people from Taizhou city to safe locations. Shanghai authorities evacuated more than 30 thousand people from high-risk zones. Currently, Chinese agencies are on high alert and fully prepared to counter this typhoon.

The National Meteorological Center maintained a yellow alert, the third level of alert, this Friday due to Typhoon Dolphin. At the time of measurement, the storm's center was located approximately 900 kilometers east of Wenzhou, in Zhejiang province, at 05:00 AM (corresponding to 10:00 PM on Thursday in Lisbon).

Classified as a strong typhoon, the system exhibited maximum winds of 42 meters per second near its core. Official projections indicate that Dolphin will continue towards the west, moving at 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, maintaining or slightly increasing its intensity.

The predicted trajectory is that it will cross the Ryukyu Islands in Japan this Friday and subsequently enter the East China Sea, gradually approaching the Chinese coast.

Authorities anticipate intense winds in various maritime areas, including the East China Sea, the South Yellow Sea, the Yangtze estuary, and the Zhejiang coast, with strong gusts expected near the typhoon's center.

In response, Zhejiang activated emergency measures on Thursday, resulting in the suspension of 21 passenger sea routes in the coastal area of Zhoushan. The province also ordered the closure of maritime activities, moved vessels to safe locations, and evacuated more than 10,000 residents from islands near the coast.

Concurrently, Fujian implemented a fourth-level emergency response, while Guangdong established restrictions on northbound naval traffic through the southern entrance of the Taiwan Strait.

Typhoon Dolphin has already caused disruptions in Japan, leading to an evacuation order for over 5,000 people in Kagoshima and the cancellation of more than 600 flights, affecting a total of 86,400 passengers.

This event occurs during a summer in China characterized by torrential rains, floods, landslides, and cyclones, which have already caused dozens of deaths and forced the preventive evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in several provinces.

Chinese Ministries of Finance and Emergency Management allocated 330 million yuan (approximately 42.3 million euros) from the central natural disaster relief fund on Wednesday. This amount was designated for eight regions affected by flooding: Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Jilin in the northeast; Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan in the southwest; and Shaanxi in the northwest of the country.

The financial resources are intended to support rescue and salvage operations, the relocation and resettlement of displaced persons, emergency actions, risk mitigation, prevention of secondary damage, and repairs to damaged homes.