Shanghai: Chinese authorities have raised their typhoon warning level to red, the highest level, in preparation for Typhoon Dolphin as it moves towards the country's east coast tonight and early tomorrow morning.
According to Thai News Agency, the influence of Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, with maximum sustained winds near its center of approximately 162 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane, has resulted in heavy rain and strong winds in many areas of Zhejiang Province on China's east coast throughout today. The typhoon is expected to make landfall sometime tonight or tomorrow morning between Zhoushan City in Zhejiang Province and Fuding City in Fujian Province, before weakening and moving further inland westward.
The China National Meteorological Administration has warned of potentially record-breaking heavy rainfall, particularly in central and eastern Zhejiang province, until mid-week. Accumulated rainfall could reach 250-500 millimeters, and in some areas, exceed 600 millimeters, posing a risk of widespread flooding and landslides in the eastern region.
Authorities in Fujian province have ordered the evacuation of more than 99,000 people from high-risk areas. Shanghai has prepared 378 temporary shelters and begun evacuating more than 100,000 residents from dangerous zones. Shanghai's Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled a combined total of more than 1,300 flights, or nearly 60 percent of all flights on Sunday.
Although Typhoon Dolphin did not directly enter Thailand, the Meteorological Department has warned that it will have an indirect impact by attracting and strengthening the southwest monsoon covering Thailand. This will result in heavy to very heavy rainfall in many areas of Thailand, increasing the risk of flash floods, landslides, and strong winds and waves in the Andaman Sea and the upper Gulf of Thailand.