Typhoon Dolphin Slams Inland China as Extreme Rainfall Triggers Widespread Emergency Alerts

Typhoon Dolphin pushed deeper into central China on Tuesday, forcing the closure of tourist sites, halting construction projects and prompting urgent warnings of extreme rainfall across the mountainous northwest of Hubei, a province home to more than 58 million people.

The storm the strongest to hit China this year has carried an unusually persistent system, travelling nearly 6,000 km before making landfall and unleashing torrential rain along the eastern coast.

Hubei, a major hub for auto manufacturing and high‑tech electronics, is still reeling from two rare tornadoes triggered last month by Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 11 people. Now, authorities fear Dolphin’s impact could be even more severe.

The National Meteorological Center renewed its orange alert for heavy rain, warning that northwestern Hubei could see up to 250 mm of rainfall within 24 hours. Cities including Xiangyang, Huanggang and Suizhou have been placed under yellow alerts due to heightened risks of flooding and landslides.

Meteorologists say Dolphin’s peripheral airflow will intensify dramatically as it collides with Hubei’s western mountain ranges, forcing moisture upward and multiplying rainfall levels several times over. “The storm’s structure means rainfall will surge when it meets the terrain,” said Wang Xiaoling, deputy director of Hubei’s provincial meteorological observatory.

Neighbouring Henan province has issued a red flash‑flood alert as Dolphin continues to channel moisture northward. The storm’s reach is so vast that Beijing, more than 1,000 km away, is bracing for over one‑third of its annual rainfall to fall within a single day. Four districts on the capital’s outskirts have activated Level I emergency flood responses ahead of the deluge expected late Tuesday.

Japan is also preparing for dangerous conditions as Typhoon Chan‑hom (Typhoon No. 15) approaches, with authorities warning of landslides, flooding and powerful winds across the mainland.

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