Central Meteorological Observatory issued an orange typhoon warning on August 9 as White Dolphin, a severe typhoon with 14-level winds (42-45 m/s) near its center, approached the coast. The storm is expected to make landfall somewhere between Zhoushan, Zhejiang and Fuding, Fujian around the evening of August 9 to the morning of August 10.
Why this storm is different: White Dolphin is moving unusually slowly due to a saddle-shaped pressure field between the continental high and equatorial high — weak steering currents mean the storm will linger over land longer, dumping extreme cumulative rainfall. The slow crawl also increases the risk of sustained wind damage and prolonged storm surge along the coast.
Key meteorological facts: The storm's core circulation is small but highly concentrated in energy. Its large outer cloud bands are already lashing the East China coast with heavy rain. Forecasts call for 200-350 mm of rain in eastern Zhejiang, with local totals exceeding 500 mm. After landfall, the remnant circulation may combine with mid-latitude weather systems around August 12, bringing heavy rain to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the Taihang and Yanshan mountain front areas — regions especially vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.
Disaster preparedness context: Zhejiang Province raised its emergency response to Level III on August 7, and Fujian activated Level IV. As of August 9, the typhoon was about 300 km east of Wenzhou, moving at approximately 15 km/h. The storm shares similarities with historical typhoons Bavi and Hato, both known for extreme rainfall and flooding.
Broader significance: White Dolphin is the latest in a series of rapid-intensification typhoons hitting China in 2026, following Typhoon Hongxia (Noul) in July. Warmer sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific — linked to broader climate trends — are providing more energy for tropical cyclones, making rapid intensification more common. The 2026 season underscores the importance of improving early warning systems, flood control infrastructure, and evacuation planning for urbanized coastal zones.