Typhoon Dolphin weakens but threat remains as China faces floods, landslides and travel chaos

China is currently grappling with the aftermath of Typhoon Dolphin as the storm weakens into a tropical depression, leaving a trail of flooded streets and grounded flights across the country’s eastern seaboard.

Dolphin made a powerful landfall on Sunday evening in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, packing winds of up to 151 kilometres per hour. While the storm has since been downgraded, with sustained winds slowing to 65 kilometres per hour on Monday, the meteorological threat remains far from over.

Authorities have been forced to relocate more than a million people to safety to avoid rising waters and the looming risk of landslides. In the port city of Wenzhou alone, over 900,000 residents were moved to emergency shelters as the heavens opened.

Transport paralysis in financial hubs

The financial heart of the country, Shanghai, faced a near-standstill as the storm's peripheral winds lashed the coast. Airport authorities reported that nearly 1,000 flights were axed at the city’s two major passenger hubs.

Meanwhile, local train services and public transport were halted to protect commuters from the deluge. In Hangzhou, the provincial capital, subway services only began to crawl back to life on Monday morning after a Sunday of total suspension.

While Ningbo’s international airport managed to resume operations by midday, officials warned of continued delays, noting that the effects of the typhoon have "not yet completely dissipated".

Regional chaos and the Philippine connection

The storm’s reach extended well beyond China’s borders, affecting the broader region with monsoon-like intensity. In the Philippines, though Dolphin did not make a direct hit, it acted as a catalyst for seasonal monsoon rains.

This led to devastating landslides in the northern mountain resort of Baguio, where at least five people were killed and several others remain missing after their homes were buried in mud. In total, the death toll from a week of torrential rains in northern Luzon has risen to 15.

Back in China, the northern capital of Beijing is also on high alert, with five districts issuing red alerts for heavy rain and potential flooding risks.

A pattern of extreme weather

This latest battering comes just weeks after Typhoon Noul struck southern China and Typhoon Maysak caused widespread devastation in central and southern regions. Last month, Maysak claimed 39 lives in the Guangxi region alone.

Scientists have warned that the intensity and frequency of such extreme weather events are set to rise as the planet continues to heat up due to fossil fuel emissions.

Despite being the world’s largest emitter, China is currently positioning itself as a renewable energy powerhouse with an ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

For now, however, the focus remains on the immediate rescue operations and clearing the wreckage from flooded city streets.