Shanghai Records Historic Rainfall Amid Typhoon Dolphin, Flights Disrupted
Shanghai experienced an unprecedented rainfall event on Sunday as Typhoon Dolphin moved through the eastern seaboard. The city's weather bureau logged the highest 24‑hour total in more than a century and warned that further accumulations of 200‑400 millimetres are possible in some districts through Wednesday.
The downpour forced the relocation of approximately 215,600 Shanghai residents to designated shelters, a figure many times larger than the initial estimate of 30,300. The massive influx strained emergency services but helped keep the population out of flood‑prone streets.
Air travel suffered heavily, with more than 1,300 scheduled flights at both Hongqiao and Pudong airports cancelled or delayed as runways and taxiways dealt with standing water. The meteorological authorities kept the blue‑typhoon warning active for the city, urging citizens to remain indoors and avoid low‑lying areas until the storm subsides.
In addition to Shanghai, neighboring provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui are bracing for continued heavy rain, landslide risk and possible river overflows as Dolphin weakens but still carries immense moisture inland.
