Typhoon Dolphin Bears Down on China's East Coast, Forcing Mass Evacuations

BEIJING —

Typhoon Dolphin slammed into China's densely populated east coast late Sunday into Monday, carrying sustained winds of up to 162 kilometers per hour (about 101 mph) as authorities scrambled to move people out of its path and brace for flooding, China's National Meteorological Center said. The storm's strength is roughly equivalent to a Category Two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, a level capable of tearing apart homes and knocking out power lines.

China's weather agency issued a red alert, its highest warning level, forecasting what it called extraordinary torrential rain in parts of central and eastern Zhejiang province, France 24 reported. Nearly 99,000 people had been relocated from risky areas in Fujian province by Saturday evening, according to the state news agency Xinhua, as cited by France 24. More than 1,600 flights were canceled across Shanghai's two main airports and Hangzhou's airport in Zhejiang, and over 200 ferry routes in Zhejiang and Fujian were suspended.

Flooding risk after landfall

Forecasters expect Dolphin to weaken as it moves inland but to slow down over central and southwestern China, which could prolong rainfall and raise the danger of flooding and landslides, Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, told the state broadcaster CCTV. Rainfall of 250 to 500 millimeters (roughly 10 to 20 inches) is possible in parts of central and eastern Zhejiang through Monday, according to Channel NewsAsia and The Straits Times.

China's water resources ministry warned that the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could see major flooding, with smaller rivers in the hardest-hit areas likely to rise above warning levels. The government kept a Level III flood emergency response active in Zhejiang and Fujian and a Level IV response in Jiangsu and Anhui, under a four-tier system in which Level I marks the most severe threat. Emergency management teams were sent to Zhejiang and Fujian, officials said. Shanghai's Yangshan port cleared its berths and moved more than 500 small and medium-sized vessels to shelter, according to the city's maritime safety administration.

Damage in Japan, heat spike in Hong Kong

Before reaching China, Dolphin battered Japan's Okinawa prefecture, injuring at least six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, according to BBC News and Channel NewsAsia. One man over 100 years old was hurt after being blown down by gusts, Okinawa's prefectural government said. In Taiwan, dozens of ferry services were suspended and more than 180 flights were canceled as the storm brought heavy rain to the island's north, France 24 reported.

The storm's outer bands also drove Hong Kong to its hottest day on record. The Hong Kong Observatory measured 36.8 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit) at its headquarters on Sunday, the highest since records began in 1884, while Sheung Shui hit 38.3 degrees, according to the South China Morning Post. The Observatory said the heat would likely persist through midweek.

Dolphin's approach comes about two weeks after Typhoon Noul struck southern Guangdong province, which authorities had called the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year, France 24 reported.