Zhejiang Raises Typhoon Response as White Dolphin Nears Coast
On.cc · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Severe Typhoon White Dolphin moved from the Ryukyu area into the East China Sea, with Chinese forecasters expecting landfall from the Zhejiang coast down to northern Fujian between Sunday night and Monday morning. Zhejiang upgraded its typhoon emergency response at midday and Fujian followed at 4pm, as both provinces prepared for strong winds, torrential rain and possible secondary disasters. Transport disruption spread across the region, including airport closures and mass flight cancellations in Ningbo and Shanghai, ferry suspensions in Zhejiang and Fujian, and rail service cuts affecting routes linked to Hong Kong. Taiwan, which the storm passed before reaching the mainland, reported 138 incidents and at least five injuries as heavy rain and strong gusts hit northern and central areas.
Key Points
- China’s Central Meteorological Observatory kept typhoon alerts in force, with White Dolphin forecast to make landfall between Zhoushan in Zhejiang and Fuding in Fujian from Sunday night to Monday morning.
- Zhejiang and Fujian both raised typhoon emergency response to Level 3, while Fujian’s meteorological authorities projected landfall between Ningbo and Ningde coastal areas
- Zhejiang suspended all 162 passenger ferry routes, halted 193 marine construction projects, and moved 474 construction vessels into sheltered waters before the storm arrived
- Fujian stopped all 115 sea-related hydraulic projects, sent 290 construction vessels to safety, and suspended 19 ferry routes north of Quanzhou, with nearly 100,000 people evacuated.
- Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao airports planned to cancel 1,384 arriving and departing flights on Sunday, while Ningbo airport shut for the day and metro services stopped citywide
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong travellers, the storm’s impact extends beyond the mainland coastline because Taiwan, Shanghai and high-speed rail links to major mainland cities were already seeing cancellations and severe weather disruption. The combination of strong winds, extreme rainfall and suspended coastal transport across eastern China could also affect onward travel, logistics and holiday plans for people moving between Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Yangtze River Delta.