Typhoon Dolphin Bears Down on Eastern China: Schools Shut, Ports Cleared as Rare Storm Nears Landfall

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A Storm With an Unusual Origin

Typhoon Dolphin is drawing attention from meteorologists for more than just its strength. According to Chinese state forecasters, the storm formed near the International Date Line — something that, by some accounts, had never been recorded before. That origin point gave Dolphin an especially long path across the open Pacific before it curved toward East Asia.

By Friday, August 7, the storm had already brushed past Okinawa, Japan, injuring at least five people, damaging homes and knocking out power to nearly 17,000 households, according to weather-tracking site The Watchers. It then continued strengthening as it pushed toward the East China Sea.

Landfall Expected This Weekend

Chinese meteorological authorities forecast that Dolphin will make landfall somewhere along the coast between Zhejiang and northern Fujian provinces, most likely between Sunday afternoon, August 9, and Monday morning, August 10. The storm was carrying sustained winds of roughly 144 to 162 km/h (89–101 mph) as it approached — strong enough to qualify as a typhoon or "severe typhoon" under China's classification system.

The U.S. Embassy in China issued its own weather alert, confirming the same landfall window and warning American citizens in the Shanghai and Guangzhou consular districts to prepare for the storm's arrival.

Shanghai, though not expected to take a direct hit, lies close enough to the forecast track that the city could still see tropical-storm-force winds, storm surge and localized flash flooding.

Schools Closed, Ports Emptied

Authorities across Zhejiang province have moved quickly to limit the storm's impact on daily life. In the city of Ningbo, one of the province's largest, officials ordered all schools and educational facilities closed for the weekend and suspended all water-related activities. Roughly 800 ships were reported docked at the port as a precaution.

Tourist sites across Zhejiang were shut for both Saturday and Sunday, and all water-based tourism — including ferries and cruises — was halted. According to the South China Morning Post, ferry routes were suspended province-wide, offshore construction projects were paused, and maritime authorities issued tens of thousands of early-warning messages to vessels at sea.

National authorities raised their emergency response to Level III, the second-lowest tier on China's four-level scale, while flood-control agencies activated separate emergency measures covering Shanghai and the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi.

Heavy Rainfall the Bigger Threat

While Dolphin's winds are significant, forecasters say the greater danger may come from rainfall. Estimates vary by source, but most point to widespread totals of 200–400 mm (7.9–15.7 inches) over the coming days, with some areas of eastern Zhejiang potentially seeing more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) through August 10. That level of rainfall raises the risk of flash flooding and landslides in hilly parts of the province.

Forecasters also expect the storm's remnants to later collide with cold air masses, spreading heavy rain further north into parts of China after landfall.

Outlook

Once Dolphin comes ashore, meteorologists expect it to weaken gradually as it tracks west-northwest across land. Even so, authorities are not taking chances: coastal provinces have deployed drones and AI-assisted forecasting tools to track the storm's path in near real time, part of a broader push by Chinese weather agencies to improve early-warning systems after past typhoons caused significant damage along the same stretch of coastline.

For now, millions of residents across Zhejiang, Fujian and Shanghai are being urged to stay indoors, avoid coastal areas and follow local evacuation orders as Dolphin closes in.

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Sources

1. South China Morning Post — https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3363262/13-times-size-zhejiang-china-deploys-drones-ai-typhoon-dolphin-nears-coast
2. Fox Weather — https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/typhoon-dolphin-china-damaging-winds-flooding
3. The Watchers — https://watchers.news/2026/08/07/typhoon-dolphin-strengthens-near-okinawa-5-injured-china-braces-for-landfall/
4. U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China — https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/weather-alert-typhoon-dolphin/

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