Climate Change and El Niño Amplified Typhoon Dolphin's Record-Breaking Impact
Thestandard · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Typhoon Dolphin unleashed extreme rainfall across eastern, central and northern China after making landfall on Sunday, following a remarkable 16-day journey across the Pacific Ocean that covered approximately 6,000 km. The storm shattered single-day rainfall records at 13 weather stations nationwide, with meteorologists drawing comparisons to the devastating Typhoon Doksuri in 2023. Benjamin Horton, dean of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong, explained that while Dolphin weakened as a wind storm after landfall, its moisture plume and remnant circulation remained highly effective at producing rainfall .
Key Points
- Zhejiang province experienced average rainfall of 215 mm from August 7 to 11, setting a new record for any typhoon making landfall in the eastern Chinese province
- The city of Taizhou, where Dolphin first made landfall, recorded an average of 438 mm of rainfall, establishing a new regional record
- Beijing's Pinggu district received 90.7 mm of rain within one hour on Wednesday, the highest hourly total for that area since records began in 1954
- Formed near the International Date Line, approximately 6,000 km east of Zhejiang, Dolphin was the farthest-origin typhoon ever to make landfall in China
- The storm's 16-day lifespan was three times that of a typical typhoon, with its unusually wide impact stemming from the scale of its circulation and persistent moisture
Why It Matters
El Niño conditions this year can shift tropical cyclone behavior, potentially making storms like Dolphin more common in the future, with far-reaching implications for infrastructure planning and disaster preparedness across the Asia-Pacific region .
El Niño conditions this year can shift tropical cyclone behavior, potentially making storms like Dolphin more common in the future, with far-reaching implications for infrastructure planning and disaster preparedness across the Asia-Pacific region .