Typhoon Dolphin Floods Central China and Puts Beijing on Alert

Typhoon Dolphin has pushed inland across central China, dumping heavy rain, forcing the closure of scenic areas including the Three Gorges Dam, and prompting emergency alerts in Beijing on August 11, 2026. Simultaneously, a newly formed tropical depression in the Central Pacific threatens Hawaiʻi with heavy weekend downpours.

Typhoon Dolphin Floods Central China and Puts Beijing on Alert

Typhoon Dolphin churned deeper inland into the central Chinese province of Hubei on Tuesday, August 11, flooding streets, halting construction projects, and closing major tourist destinations as forecasters warned of extreme rainfall across a broad swathe of the country, according to reporting from Reuters. As the strongest typhoon to hit China this year, the system packed an unusually resilient storm system that traveled nearly 6,000 km (3,728 miles) before making landfall over the weekend, drenching the country’s eastern coast and bringing with it a sprawling cloud field.

The storm’s reach extended more than 1,000 km north to Beijing. Four districts on the capital’s outskirts activated the highest level of emergency flood responses, known as Level I flood responses, as the city braced for the expected onset of more than one-third of its annual rainfall over 24 hours starting late on Tuesday.

Hubei Province Shut Down Amid Landslide and Flood Warnings

Hubei, a major auto and high-tech electronics manufacturing hub and home to more than 58 million people, was just recovering from two rare tornadoes last month in the wake of Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 11 people. On Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for heavy rain, the second-highest warning level, with Hubei expected to receive as much as 250 mm of rain in a 24-hour period. Wang Xiaoling, deputy director of Hubei’s provincial meteorological observatory, told local newspaper Hubei Daily that Dolphin’s peripheral airflow will be forced to rise when it encounters the mountains in Hubei’s western region, causing rainfall to intensify several times over.

Photo: kitv.com

Typhoon Dolphin Brings Record Rain and Flooding to Beijing and Central China

In the city of Xiangyang, where Hubei authorities issued a yellow warning for landslides and floods, pedestrians waded through water-covered streets as shared electric scooters were partially submerged. At one crossroads in heavy rain, drivers slowed down to get their vehicles through water that was more than 30 cm deep while others turned around. Nearby, rainwater gushed onto a lower-lying highway from the elevated motorbike paths on either side of the road, prompting authorities to deploy workers in neon safety gear to remove some of the concrete and allow the water to drain faster. At a section of another highway prone to flooding, authorities had preventively stationed a drainage truck.

Photo: reuters.com

As of Tuesday morning, water levels at 35 reservoirs in Xiangyang had exceeded flood-control thresholds, prompting authorities to relocate 9,705 people. Scenic areas across the province have announced temporary closures, including the popular Three Gorges Dam tourist area in Yichang, and all but two of Xiangyang’s 59 major scenic spots were shut. Furthermore, of 107 major highway and waterway construction projects underway in the province, 26 projects deemed high-risk have been suspended.

Typhoon Dolphin Slams Eastern China and Japan, Triggering Mass Evacuations

Sixty-year-old Huang, who had delayed her trip to buy groceries earlier in the morning due to the rain, looked at the waterlogged roads with concern and worried the floods could reach the compound of her apartment building a few hundred metres away.

Huang stated that that area always gets flooded when it rains and expressed concern that the waters could reach her home if the situation continued like that.

Henan and Neighboring Regions Brace for Red Alerts

In neighbouring Henan province, authorities issued a red flash-flood alert as the storm continued to channel moisture northward. Forecasters said some areas could receive up to 350 mm of rain through Wednesday afternoon. Before reaching China, Japan was also battered by Dolphin, and the Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon No. 15, Chan-hom, could move across Japan’s mainland later on Tuesday, preparing the country for landslides, flooding, and strong winds.

Tropical Depression Forms in the Central Pacific Threatening Hawaiʻi

Across the Pacific, a new tropical depression has formed in the Central Pacific and could bring heavy rain to Hawaiʻi this weekend and into early next week. Tropical Depression Two-C is about 960 miles east-southeast of Hilo and is moving west-northwest at about 16 mph. Forecasters say it could strengthen into a tropical storm later Thursday.

Typhoon Dolphin Makes Landfall on China’s East Coast

The system is expected to pass near or south of the Big Island this weekend. While there are no watches or warnings in effect right now, watches could be issued for parts of Hawaiʻi as early as Thursday night or Friday. The biggest concern for Hawaiʻi is heavy rain, with the Big Island potentially seeing 5 to 10 inches of rain, and locally higher amounts up to 15 inches. The rest of the state could see 1 to 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 5 inches.

The heavy rain could lead to dangerous flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places recently affected by Hurricane Lala. Additionally, the system could bring dangerous surf and rip currents to parts of the state this weekend. Meanwhile, trade winds will weaken Thursday as a trough moves across the islands, bringing more moisture and an increase in showers through Friday.