China raises alert as Typhoon Dolphin approaches coast

Coastal provinces in eastern and southeastern China have escalated their emergency preparedness to an orange alert as Typhoon Dolphin intensifies and heads toward the mainland. Zhejiang and Fujian provinces raised their response levels on Friday, the second-highest in China's four-tier system, anticipating the typhoon's potential landfall between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

The National Meteorological Center maintained a yellow alert, the third-highest level, for Dolphin. As of Friday afternoon, the typhoon's center was located approximately 730 kilometers east of Wenzhou in Zhejiang. The storm has strengthened significantly, with maximum sustained winds reaching level 15 (approximately 170-180 km/h), and forecasters predict it could reach super typhoon status before weakening slightly prior to landfall.

Dolphin is expected to track westward at about 15 kilometers per hour. After crossing Japan's Ryukyu Islands on Friday, it is forecast to enter the East China Sea before nearing the Chinese coast. In response, Zhejiang authorities have suspended 162 ferry routes and 193 offshore construction projects, while ordering 474 vessels back to port. Fujian's Maritime Safety Administration also activated its orange-level emergency response.

Guangdong province has implemented controls on northbound maritime traffic entering the Taiwan Strait's southern entrance. While some areas have already experienced heavy rainfall, the primary impact is anticipated between August 8 and 12. Japan's southern islands reported winds up to 150 km/h from Dolphin on Friday, causing minor injuries, power outages, and flight cancellations. This typhoon arrives during a summer in China marked by severe weather, including torrential rains, floods, and landslides that have caused dozens of deaths and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of thousands.