China issues red alert as Typhoon Dolphin barrels toward east coast

Red alert activated as storm approaches

Chinese authorities activated a red alert — the highest level in the national warning system — as Typhoon Dolphin barreled toward the country's eastern coast on Sunday, with state media reporting that multiple provinces had suspended work, transport, and ferry services in anticipation of torrential rains and gale-force winds.

Landfall forecast

The National Meteorological Center forecast that the storm would make landfall along the coast between Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province, bringing short-duration heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to regions including Shanghai, Shandong, Tianjin, and Beijing through Wednesday. As of Sunday morning, the typhoon's center was located approximately 215 kilometers offshore east of Wenzhou in Zhejiang, moving westward at 20 to 25 kilometers per hour before it is expected to weaken after moving inland, according to Xinhua News.

Mass evacuations in Shanghai

Shanghai municipal authorities began relocating over 100,000 residents and established 378 temporary shelters for emergency use as the megacity braced for the approaching storm, local media outlet thepaper.cn reported. Ferry services across the commercial hub were also suspended ahead of the typhoon's arrival, officials said.

Expected impact

The emergency measures mark one of the largest preemptive evacuations in the region this year as the storm threatens to disrupt economic activity across China's wealthy eastern seaboard. Meteorologists expect the typhoon to gradually weaken as it tracks west-northwestward after making landfall, though coastal areas remain at risk of flooding and infrastructure damage through midweek.