Typhoon White Dolphin Makes Historic Double Landfall

Typhoon White Dolphin, the strongest storm to hit China this year, made an unprecedented double landfall on Zhejiang’s coast on August 9, forcing the evacuation of more than one million people across eastern China. The storm, which formed near the International Date Line and traveled over 4,700 kilometers before reaching land, is the most easterly-originating typhoon to make landfall in China since 1951, according to Xinhua News.

An Unprecedented Storm

The typhoon’s first landfall occurred at approximately 17:30 local time at Kamen Street in Yuhuan City, Taizhou, with maximum sustained winds of 42 meters per second (14 levels) and a minimum central pressure of 945 hPa. Just over an hour later, at approximately 18:40, the storm made a second landfall at Wengyang Street in Yueqing City, Wenzhou, with winds of 38 meters per second, as reported by Xinhua.

Meteorologists have highlighted three defining characteristics of this storm. First, its extraordinary journey: forming near the International Date Line on July 27, it traveled more than 6,000 kilometers before landfall—making it the first typhoon in meteorological records to form near the Date Line and make landfall in China at tropical storm strength or above. Second, its explosive intensification: the storm reached super typhoon status within 48 hours, peaking at 65 meters per second on July 30, making it the second strongest typhoon of 2026. Third, its massive size: the typhoon’s 7-level wind circle radius reached 420 to 450 kilometers, with a circulation diameter exceeding 1,300 kilometers, as detailed by CCTV News.

Mass Evacuation and Emergency Response

In the face of this historic storm, authorities launched one of the largest evacuation operations in recent memory. More than one million people were evacuated across Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shanghai before landfall, according to RFI. By August 8 evening, Fujian had evacuated 98,900 people, Taizhou nearly 80,000, and Shanghai over 30,000.

Zhejiang raised its typhoon emergency response to Level I on August 8 at 20:00, the highest level in China’s four-tier system, as reported by Xinhua. The China Meteorological Administration issued a red typhoon warning—the highest level—on August 9 at 10:00, only the second red warning issued in 2026.

The National Flood Control Headquarters coordinated multi-agency efforts, with the Ministry of Emergency Management convening joint consultations with meteorological, water resources, and transportation authorities. The ministry issued a notice detailing 12 specific typhoon defense measures, emphasizing comprehensive evacuation of offshore workers and strict monitoring of high-risk areas.

On the Ground: The Landfall Zone

Reporters from Xinhua were on the ground in the core impact zone as the storm struck. At Kamen Street’s Dongsha Community in Yuhuan—the first point of landfall—fierce winds and torrential rain battered the coastline as waves several meters high crashed against seawalls, sending white spray dozens of meters into the air.

“Have windows and doors been reinforced? Have people in dangerous houses been evacuated?” asked Chen Yanhui, Party branch secretary of Dongsha Community, as she led community workers in a door-to-door safety sweep before the storm’s full force arrived.

In Yueqing’s Cai’ao Village, Party branch secretary Li Fazheng described the preparations: “Since the afternoon of the 7th, we have lifted all 30 fishing boats in the village onto shore. We must ensure boats on shore, people off boats.”

Maritime authorities also mobilized extensively. Chen Xingeng, a law enforcement officer at the Wenzhou Maritime Safety Administration, noted that “since the typhoon emergency response was activated on August 3, all 576 transport vessels and 238 yachts in the jurisdiction have been evacuated, and nearly 3,500 people on board and island tourists have been safely transferred.”

The ‘Three-Collision’ Risk

One of the most dangerous aspects of this typhoon was the potential for a “three-collision” scenario—the simultaneous convergence of strong winds, heavy rainfall, and astronomical high tides in the same coastal area. Chen Si, deputy director of the Fujian Strait Meteorological Science Research Institute, warned that “wind, rain, and tide each have their own destructive power. When they collide, the destructive force amplifies geometrically. This is one of the most dangerous extreme situations to guard against in coastal typhoon defense,” as reported by Xinhua.

The typhoon made landfall during a period of astronomical high tides, significantly increasing storm surge risk. Zhejiang’s trumpet-shaped bays along the Taizhou and Wenzhou coasts can amplify storm surges, making low-lying coastal areas particularly vulnerable.

Community Resilience in Shelters

Amid the chaos, evacuation shelters across Taizhou became beacons of community warmth. At the Jiaoxi Village shelter in Qinggang Town, Yuhuan, village Party secretary Yan Jueyong served hot meals to evacuees, insisting, “Eat more. You need strength to fight the typhoon.”

In Wenling, shelter workers discovered that migrant worker Meng Xianbin from Henan was celebrating his 50th birthday. They surprised him with a birthday cake. “I’ve been working away from home for over 20 years,” Meng said. “In the past, my birthdays were simple. I never expected so many people to celebrate my birthday with me during a typhoon. It’s such a surprise. In all these years in Zhejiang, every time a typhoon approaches, the local government arranges for me to be transferred to shelters like schools. It’s very heartwarming,” as reported by China News Service.

Transportation Disruption

The storm caused massive disruption to transportation networks. Over 1,700 flights were cancelled at airports across the Yangtze River Delta region, with Shanghai’s two airports alone cancelling 1,384 flights. Five airports—Ningbo, Taizhou, Lishui, Wenzhou, and Zhoushan—cancelled all flights on August 9. Multiple high-speed rail lines suspended operations from August 9-11, including the Shanghai-Kunming, Hangzhou-Wenzhou, and Hangzhou-Taizhou lines, according to gov.cn.

Zhejiang’s 162 passenger ferry routes and 316 passenger ships were all suspended, with 3,096 ships taking shelter along the province’s coast.

Climate Context and Forward Look

The 2026 El Niño event played a key role in the typhoon’s unusual eastern formation and extreme intensity. Abnormally high sea surface temperatures in the central-eastern Pacific provided favorable conditions for typhoon formation and intensification in the central Pacific, where waters are typically cooler and less moisture-rich. Meteorologists at CCTV noted that the typhoon’s lifespan of over 15 days is more than three times that of a typical typhoon.

As of August 10 at 6:00, the typhoon had weakened to a tropical storm, located in Longquan City, Lishui, Zhejiang. However, its residual circulation is expected to interact with cold air systems, potentially bringing extreme rainfall to North China, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Shandong.

“The typhoon passing through does not mean the alert is lifted,” warned Kong Xiangguo, Political Commissar of the Taizhou Maritime Safety Administration. Even after winds subside, ocean swells can persist for hours, and the risk of secondary disasters—including landslides, flash floods, and reservoir overflows—remains elevated.

As Zhejiang begins the long recovery process, the unprecedented nature of Typhoon White Dolphin serves as a stark reminder of the growing intensity of extreme weather events in a warming climate. The storm’s record-breaking journey from the central Pacific to China’s coast may not remain unique for long.