Tropical Storm Dolphin Brings Flooding to Eastern China – Shanghai Urges Residents to Take Precautions

Impact on Transport and Infrastructure

In the city of Yueqing in Zhejiang, local media reported flooded residential areas and power outages. Rescue teams were deployed to bring people out of affected buildings. Public local transport was temporarily suspended in several counties.

Shanghai's Hongqiao International Airport had to cancel individual flights, according to airport sources. There were also delays at Pudong Airport. Travelers were asked to check the current status of their connections before starting their journeys.

Regional Weather Situation

The tropical storm is part of a series of weather events currently affecting large parts of East Asia. In the Philippines alone, several tropical storms and the southwest monsoon had triggered severe flooding the previous week. An official casualty toll from the island nation was not quantified in the reports.

Photos of flooded streets in the Pudong and Hongqiao districts circulated on social networks. Landslides were also reported from eastern outlying districts of Shanghai. Weather authorities continued to issue warnings of heavy rainfall and gusty winds for the region.

Outlook and Precautionary Measures

Authorities announced that water levels at the city's dams and locks would be monitored closely. Schools and some public facilities in particularly at-risk districts remained closed as a precaution.

On Monday, the storm was forecast to weaken further and move northward toward the Yellow Sea according to Chinese meteorological service forecasts. Nevertheless, meteorologists warned of trailing systems that could bring further rainfall over the already saturated catchment area in the coming days.

Initial precautionary measures were taken in the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui. Authorities reinforced levees and prepared additional sandbags to contain possible flooding in lower-lying regions.

Observers pointed out that eastern China had been hit repeatedly by severe flooding in recent years. Cities such as Shanghai are investing increasingly in flood protection and drainage systems, but the growing intensity of tropical storms poses mounting challenges for infrastructure.