Shanghai flooded as Typhoon Dolphin hits China: How bad is it?

Typhoon Dolphin has devastated parts of eastern China, causing over 1 Million people to be evacuated as excessive amounts of rainfall caused some sections of Shanghai to turn into flooded roads.

Typhoon Dolphin landed in Zhejiang province on Sunday; after making landfall it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm. The intense amount of rainfall remained and increased the risk of flooding in other areas of the region.

Parts of Shanghai were among the hardest hit by the storm. According to reports, the city received record breaking amounts of rainfall in a 24 hour time frame. Some areas received almost 400 mm of rain which led to many flooded streets and disruptions in daily life throughout the city.

Due to the severity of the conditions, authorities had to evacuate over 200,000 people from Shanghai. Over 1 Million people were evacuated in total within eastern China and authorities ordered large-scale evacuations in both Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.

Typhoon Dolphin also shut down China’s transportation system. On Monday there were approximately 943 canceled flights in Shanghai. Also, all trains and subways in Shanghai were delayed or halted due to extreme weather.

Many parts of Shanghai were underwater as heavy rain overwhelmed many roads and drainage systems. In some of the suburbs of Shanghai, waters were up to peoples’ knees and residents had to walk through flooded streets.

Authorities are still warning of additional flooding and landslides as Typhoon Dolphin moves deeper into the interior of China. Heavy rain is forecasted for multiple provinces (Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hubei and Henan).

Although Typhoon Dolphin has lost strength, the danger has not passed yet. Many rivers in eastern China are increasing rapidly and authorities have sent out warnings about potential flooding and landslides.

Areas outside mainland China have also suffered from the effects of Typhoon Dolphin. Weather associated with Typhoon Dolphin also caused an increase in monsoonal rains in the Philippines.