Typhoon Dolphin may have weakened after making landfall in China, but its danger has hardly disappeared.
The storm system has pushed deep into central China, unleashing torrential rain across Hubei province while sending huge amounts of moisture toward Beijing and neighbouring Henan. Authorities have closed tourist attractions, halted high-risk construction projects and moved thousands of people away from flood-prone areas as the threat of more extreme rainfall grows.
The latest development highlights a familiar danger with major tropical systems: the storm does not have to remain a powerful typhoon to remain dangerous.
From Coastal Typhoon to Inland Flood Threat
Dolphin was the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year. Before reaching the mainland, the system travelled almost 6,000 kilometres, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to China’s eastern coast.
After moving inland, Dolphin was downgraded, but its enormous moisture field continued moving across the country.
That has turned what began as a coastal storm into a much broader inland flooding threat.
In Hubei, streets in Xiangyang were inundated, with vehicles attempting to navigate water more than 30 centimetres deep. Authorities also warned of landslides and flooding in several areas.
Hubei Braces for Up to 250 mm of Rain
The situation in Hubei is particularly concerning.
China’s National Meteorological Center issued an orange heavy-rain alert, with some parts of the province expected to receive as much as 250 mm of rain in just 24 hours.
That rainfall is arriving in a region that is already vulnerable to flooding.
In Xiangyang alone, water levels at 35 reservoirs had exceeded flood-control thresholds, prompting authorities to relocate 9,705 people as a precaution.
Officials have also closed scenic destinations across Hubei, including the popular tourist area around the Three Gorges Dam.
Of 59 major tourist attractions in Xiangyang, only two remained open, according to Reuters.
The Mountains Could Make Things Worse
One of the biggest concerns is not simply how much rain Dolphin is carrying, but what happens when that moisture encounters Hubei’s mountainous terrain.
Meteorologists warned that the storm’s peripheral airflow will be forced upward by the mountains, potentially causing rainfall to intensify several times over.
That creates a dangerous combination:
heavy moisture + mountainous terrain + saturated ground = greater risk of flash floods and landslides.
For communities already dealing with flooded roads and rising water levels, additional rainfall could quickly turn local flooding into a much more serious emergency.
Beijing Is Watching the Storm Closely
Dolphin’s influence has also stretched more than 1,000 kilometres northward to China’s capital.
Four districts on the outskirts of Beijing activated the city’s highest flood-response level as authorities prepared for exceptionally heavy rainfall. Forecasts indicated that the capital could receive more than one-third of its annual rainfall within 24 hours.
That forecast is especially significant for a huge, densely populated city where intense rainfall can quickly overwhelm roads, drainage systems and low-lying areas.
The storm therefore presents Beijing with a different kind of challenge: not a direct typhoon strike, but an enormous volume of moisture arriving from a weakening tropical system.
Henan Faces an Even Higher Rainfall Risk
The threat does not stop in Hubei.
Neighbouring Henan province issued a red flash-flood alert as Dolphin continued pushing moisture northward.
Some areas could receive as much as 350 mm of rain through Wednesday afternoon, according to forecasters.
That puts authorities across central China on heightened alert, with the potential for flooding and landslides to spread beyond the areas initially affected by the storm.
Thousands Moved and Construction Halted
Authorities are taking preventive measures before conditions deteriorate further.
Twenty-six high-risk highway and waterway construction projects in Hubei have been suspended.
Tourist attractions have been closed, emergency workers have been deployed and residents in vulnerable areas have been relocated.
These measures show that officials are treating the storm’s remaining moisture as a serious hazard even though Dolphin is no longer classified as a powerful typhoon.
For Residents, the Danger Is Already on the Streets
In Xiangyang, the effects are not merely a forecast.
People have been seen wading through flooded streets while electric scooters sat partly submerged. Drivers slowed down or turned around as floodwater covered roads.
At one location, workers were sent to improve drainage and prevent water from accumulating on a major road.
For residents living in areas that regularly flood, the arrival of another major rain system brings an immediate fear: how high will the water rise this time?
That uncertainty can be more frightening than the storm’s official category.
Dolphin’s Reach Extends Beyond China
The storm’s journey has also affected Japan.
Dolphin previously brought severe weather to Japan, and the country is now preparing for another storm, Typhoon Chan-hom, which could bring flooding, landslides and strong winds as it approaches the Japanese mainland.
The succession of storms highlights the unusually active weather conditions affecting parts of East Asia this week.
The Bigger Story: A Weakening Storm Can Still Be Dangerous
The most important lesson from Dolphin is that storm strength alone does not determine the danger.
A typhoon can lose its strongest winds after moving inland while retaining enormous quantities of moisture. Once that moisture encounters mountains, rivers, saturated soil and densely populated cities, the resulting rainfall can become the main threat.
That is exactly what China is facing now.
Dolphin began as a powerful tropical cyclone on the coast. Now, its greatest danger may come from water rather than wind.
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