BEIJING – Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in East China as Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and flooding, with authorities warning that risks remained even as the storm weakened after making landfall.
As of 7 am Monday, about 167,900 people had been moved from vulnerable areas in Fujian province, both on land and at sea. By late Sunday, Shanghai had evacuated around 215,600 people from areas considered at risk.
Heavy rain was forecast to persist on Monday in parts of Fujian, including the cities of Ningde and Nanping, with the potential for torrential downpours in some areas.
The storm caused widespread disruptions to transportation and tourism. In Fujian, authorities suspended 686 road passenger routes and 658 train services. A total of 234 major tourist attractions were also shut down and dozens of cultural and tourism events canceled.
In Shanghai, Legoland Shanghai Resort temporarily closed around noon Monday as Typhoon Dolphin lashed the city with heavy rain. Authorities in the district where the resort is located issued the highest-level rainstorm alert and warned of possible urban waterlogging.
ALSO READ: Typhoon Dolphin hits Zhejiang, rain to move northward
According to China's National Meteorological Center on Monday, Typhoon Dolphin is moving inland after making two landfalls along the coast of East China's Zhejiang province and is expected to bring heavy precipitation to more than 10 provincial-level regions.
The center issued a blue typhoon warning on Monday morning, forecasting persistent heavy rainfall through Wednesday in regions including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan and Hebei. Some areas are likely to experience torrential rain, thunderstorms and strong winds.
Starting on Thursday, the remnants of the typhoon are expected to move northward and interact with cold air, bringing significant rainfall to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Liaoning, the center said.
Meteorological experts warned that the typhoon could raise the risk of flooding and other disasters in some areas, calling for strengthened defenses against geological disasters and flooding in small and medium-sized rivers.
Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year, made two landfalls in Zhejiang province on Sunday, according to the NMC.
The NMC renewed a blue typhoon alert Monday morning, forecasting that the storm would move northwest at 15 to 20 kilometers per hour and gradually weaken.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
