Typhoon Bailudolphin, the 13th typhoon of 2026, struck the eastern coast of China around the afternoon of August 9. It first made landfall near Yuhuan City in Taizhou, Zhejiang province before hitting Wenzhou shortly after, carrying maximum sustained winds of up to 195 km/h, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane or a wind force of 13-14 on the Chinese scale [1, 2, 3, 4].

The storm brought heavy rain and storms to Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and nearby provinces from August 9 through at least August 12. Local areas experienced extreme rainfall between 250-500 mm, causing severe flooding in Shanghai where over 150 mm fell in six hours [5, 6, 7, 3, 8]. Shanghai authorities issued orange-level rain warnings and implemented traffic restrictions in response [7, 9].

More than 1 million residents were evacuated or relocated amid the typhoon emergency. Fujian relocated nearly 99,000 people, Zhejiang’s Taizhou city over 80,000, and more than 30,000 people were moved in Shanghai [10, 1, 3, 9]. Chinese authorities issued the highest-level red typhoon warnings and emergency responses in Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai and other provinces [6, 11, 1]. Zhejiang Governor Liu Jie stressed the urgency, saying officials should "make full preparations and treat the defense against typhoon ‘Bailudolphin’ as the most urgent task" [11]. Fujian Governor Zhao Long urged to overcome complacency and do all possible to prevent typhoon damage [11].

The typhoon caused large-scale disruptions to transport and infrastructure. Airlines canceled or delayed nearly 1,600 flights, including 1,384 at Shanghai airport and nearly 300 at Hangzhou airport. Ports such as Ningbo Zhoushan and Shanghai suspended operations, while railway and ferry services along the coast also shut down temporarily [1, 2, 3]. The storm damaged aquaculture facilities and threatened crops through flooding and strong winds [5, 8].

No confirmed deaths were reported in China. However, a nine-year-old boy was swept into the sea near Wenzhou and remained missing as of August 9 [1, 3]. Before reaching China, Bailudolphin had caused six injuries and power outages affecting over 50,000 buildings in Okinawa, Japan. It also brought heavy rains and six injuries to Taiwan and contributed to flooding and eight deaths in the Philippines due to the storm and prior monsoon rains [5, 3, 4].

After landfall, Bailudolphin weakened to a tropical storm but continued moving inland, bringing heavy rains through mid-August [3, 8]. Meteorologist Wang Haiping of China’s Central Meteorological Observatory warned that the typhoon's rainfall intensity, scope, and duration were unusually severe and required close attention [1]. James Caron, head of Atmospheric G2 Meteorology, noted the impact on agriculture would depend heavily on the movement of the storm’s rain bands, with even small shifts potentially changing rainfall amounts in key growing areas [8].

Authorities expect heavy rain and flooding risks to persist across central and eastern China until at least mid-August, maintaining flood and landslide warnings [7, 8].