People crossing a road amid strong winds ahead of Typhoon Dolphins arrival in Shanghai, China, on Sunday/Reuters/ANI Photo
China's national observatory on Sunday issued a red alert, the highest classification in the country's meteorological warning system, as Typhoon Dolphin approached the eastern coastline.
According to the National Meteorological Centre (NMC), the typhoon is forecast to make landfall along the eastern littoral, stretching from Sanmen in Zhejiang Province to Fuding in Fujian Province, between Sunday evening and the early hours of Monday.
Xinhua News Agency reported that NMC chief forecaster Wang Haiping urged high vigilance, citing the system's severe precipitation intensity, expansive geographic footprint, and extended duration.
From Sunday through Wednesday, intense downpours are expected across northern Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, eastern Hubei, central and eastern Henan, and southern Shandong, with localised areas in central-eastern Zhejiang and southern Anhui anticipating extreme torrential rain.
Outlining critical risk areas, Wang indicated that coastal zones across East China and the East China Sea must prepare for severe gales.
Between Sunday and Tuesday, expansive stretches of the East China Sea, Hangzhou Bay, the Zhejiang coast, and the Yangtze River Estuary are projected to encounter winds measuring Force 9 to 12, with gusts ranging from Force 11 to 14, while areas adjacent to the typhoon's core could experience gusts reaching Force 15 to 16. -- ANI
