Tropical Storm Dolphin disrupted transport across parts of East Asia on Monday, forcing the cancellation of more than 900 flights in Shanghai and prompting widespread evacuations as heavy rain caused flooding and landslides.
More than 900 flights were cancelled at Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports, representing about 40% of scheduled services, according to Shanghai Airport Group. The cancellations followed roughly 1,300 flight cancellations the previous day as the storm moved across eastern China.
Shanghai also suspended services on several metro lines, while China Railway Chengdu Group cancelled 115 train services, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening near Taizhou, bringing winds of up to 151 kilometres per hour. The storm had earlier brought heavy rainfall to northern Taiwan before reaching mainland China.
The China Meteorological Administration said Dolphin was moving northwest at between 15 and 20 kilometres per hour and was expected to weaken as it moved inland.
Authorities warned residents in several areas about the risk of severe flooding and landslides. In Yueqing, Zhejiang province, emergency workers searched flooded homes for people who may have been trapped.
Hundreds of thousands of residents were moved from vulnerable areas before the storm arrived. At least 760,000 people were relocated, including more than 390,000 in Taizhou.
Authorities in Shanghai and Fujian province said they evacuated more than 210,000 and 160,000 people respectively. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang’s capital, authorities temporarily closed West Lake attractions, temples, parks and museums because of the storm. The sites were expected to reopen on Tuesday.
The storm also intensified seasonal monsoon rainfall in the Philippines, contributing to flooding and landslides across northern Luzon.
In the mountain resort city of Baguio, a landslide buried three houses on Sunday night. Ten people were killed and three others were rescued with injuries and taken to hospital, according to city officials.
The deaths raised the toll from nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains, flooding and an earlier tropical storm in northern Luzon to 19, the government’s Office of Civil Defense said.
More than one million people have been affected by the severe weather, with about 98,000 forced to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Chan-hom was moving toward Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the storm had winds of about 83 kilometres per hour and could strengthen before making landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Authorities across the affected regions continued monitoring weather conditions and warned residents to prepare for further flooding, landslides and transport disruptions.
