Archive · 9 Aug 2026
China Red Alert, Airports Cancel Flights as Typhoon Dolphin Nears
A big storm called Typhoon Dolphin is coming very close to China.
A typhoon is a huge spinning storm with very strong winds and heavy rain.
China's weather experts gave their strongest warning, called a red alert.
This is only the second red alert in China this year.
Because the storm is dangerous, more than one thousand flights were cancelled.
Airports in cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou stopped many planes from taking off, and ferries were stopped too.
The storm is expected to reach land early Monday morning.
Heavy rain may fall for several days across many parts of China, including big cities like Beijing.
The government wants everyone to stay safe and be ready for the bad weather.
China issued its highest red storm alert as Typhoon Dolphin approaches, with more than 1,000 flights cancelled and some rail services suspended.
Shanghai's two main airports halted 1,384 flights and Hangzhou suspended nearly 300, while Ningbo Lishe International Airport began cancellations late Saturday night, China Central Television reported.
The red alert is the second issued this year by the China Meteorological Administration, after Typhoon Noul in late July; the agency upgraded its emergency response to Level II on Sunday.
The storm is expected to make landfall by early Monday morning, Shanghai has halted ferry services, and some Yangtze River Delta rail services are suspended through Thursday, according to China Railway Shanghai Group.
Heavy to torrential rains are forecast from Sunday to Wednesday across Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin.
- Who
- China Meteorological Administration and Chinese authorities, with President Xi Jinping having urged 'all-out' disaster prevention and relief efforts
- What
- Issued its highest red storm alert, cancelling more than 1,000 flights and suspending some rail and ferry services as Typhoon Dolphin nears
- When
- Red alert issued on Sunday; landfall expected by early Monday morning, with heavy rain forecast through Wednesday
- Where
- Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and the wider Yangtze River Delta region of China
- Why
- To protect people and property from Typhoon Dolphin, part of a summer of extreme weather that has caused deaths and huge economic losses
- Storm
- Typhoon Dolphin
- Alert
- Highest red alert; second this year after Typhoon Noul in late July
- Emergency response
- Level II, upgraded Sunday
- Flights cancelled
- Over 1,000 total; 1,384 at Shanghai's two main airports and nearly 300 at Hangzhou
- Expected landfall
- Early Monday morning
- Rail and ferry
- Some Yangtze River Delta rail services suspended from Sunday through Thursday; Shanghai ferries halted
- Ports
- Major ports near Shanghai, including Zhoushan, China's largest ship refueling hub, halted operations
- Rain forecast
- Heavy to torrential rain Sunday-Wednesday across Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin
