BEIJING/HANGZHOU/FUZHOU – China's National Meteorological Center issued a yellow alert on Thursday evening as Typhoon Dolphin is forecast to make landfall along China's eastern coast between Shanghai and Fuqing in Fujian province on Sunday or Monday.
Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, is forecast to enter the East China Sea on Friday and gradually approach the coastal areas of East China, the center said.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe scenario, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
It is likely to make landfall with an intensity ranging from typhoon to severe typhoon level and bring heavy rain to areas north of the landfall site.
Dolphin formed west of the International Date Line and has traveled a long distance toward China, and it is very rare for a storm following such a long track to make landfall in the country at this intensity, said Dong Lin, chief forecaster at the center.
Dolphin is currently under the combined influence of the subtropical high, troughs and ridges in the westerlies, and multiple typhoon systems, while a split in the subtropical high has weakened the steering flow affecting the storm, leaving its landfall location and post-landfall path uncertain, Dong said.
After landfall, Dolphin may move westward and linger over southern China for two to three days, or turn north and interact with a system in the westerlies, potentially bringing prolonged and widespread wind and rain to northern China, the center noted.
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At 11 am Thursday, the center of Typhoon Dolphin was located on the ocean approximately 1,260 km east of the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang, packing winds of up to Force 14 near its center, according to the Zhejiang Provincial Meteorological Observatory. The typhoon is forecast to move northwestward at 15 to 20 km per hour.
Winds over the East China Sea are expected to build from Thursday night and intensify to Force 10 to 13 on Friday and Saturday, with some areas seeing Force 14 to 16, the observatory said.
From 8 pm on Thursday to 8 pm on Friday, strong winds are forecast across most of the East China Sea, the southern Yellow Sea, waters east of Taiwan, the Bashi Channel, the Yangtze River estuary, Hangzhou Bay and coastal areas in East China's Zhejiang province.
Dolphin is expected to bring heavy to torrential rain to parts of eastern China around Sunday, while its remnants, combined with cold air, may cause heavy rainfall in parts of northern and northeastern China from Aug 12 to 14.
On Thursday afternoon, authorities in East China's Zhejiang and Fujian provinces activated Level-IV typhoon emergency responses.
Zhejiang province upgraded its maritime emergency response to a Level-IV typhoon response at 2 pm Thursday, urging local authorities to closely track the typhoon's progress and implement all precautionary measures as prescribed.
By 8 pm Wednesday, all 193 offshore construction projects in Zhejiang had been suspended, and 474 construction vessels had been directed to safe anchorages. The local maritime authority has also assisted local governments in relocating more than 10,000 people from outlying islands.
Meanwhile, neighboring Fujian province also activated a Level-IV typhoon emergency response at 2 pm Thursday. Typhoon Dolphin is expected to make landfall between the Yangtze River estuary and northern Fujian on Sunday, the Fujian provincial meteorological observatory said.
From Sunday to Wednesday, heavy to torrential rains are expected across much of Fujian, especially in the central and northern regions, with accumulated rainfall of 100 to 200 mm and up to 300 mm in some areas, the meteorological observatory noted.
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The Fujian provincial flood control authority has urged coastal areas and relevant departments to closely track the typhoon's movements, step up risk assessments, activate emergency responses in a timely manner, and implement all necessary precautions.
