Typhoon Dolphin brings heavy rain warnings to central and northern China

Wuhan, China. Typhoon Dolphin moved deeper inland towards central Hubei province on Tuesday, forcing tourist attraction closures and the suspension of construction projects amid warnings of extreme rainfall, flooding and landslides.

The storm was also channeling moisture more than 1,000 kilometres north towards Beijing, where some areas could receive more than one-third of the capital’s average annual rainfall within 24 hours.

Warnings in Hubei

Dolphin, the strongest typhoon to hit China this year, retained an unusually resilient storm system after travelling nearly 6,000 kilometres before making landfall over the weekend. It drenched China’s eastern coast and carried a broad field of rain clouds inland.

China’s National Meteorological Centre renewed an orange alert for heavy rain on Tuesday, the second-highest warning level. Northwestern Hubei was forecast to receive up to 250 millimetres of rain within 24 hours.

Hubei authorities issued a yellow warning for cities including Xiangyang, Huanggang and Suizhou, citing increased risks of flooding and landslides.

Closures and project suspensions

Scenic attractions across Hubei announced temporary closures, including the Three Gorges Dam tourist area in Yichang. Of 107 major highway and waterway construction projects under way in the province, 26 considered to be at high risk were suspended.

Hubei, a major centre for automotive and high-tech electronics manufacturing, has a population of more than 58 million. The province was hit by two rare tornadoes last month in the wake of Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 11 people.

Rainfall expected to intensify

Dolphin’s peripheral airflow was expected to rise as it encountered the mountains of western Hubei, sharply intensifying rainfall, Wang Xiaoling, deputy director of the provincial meteorological observatory, told the Hubei Daily newspaper.

In neighbouring Henan province, authorities issued a red flash-flood alert as the storm continued to channel moisture northwards.

In Beijing, moisture from Dolphin was expected to converge with cool air over northern China, bringing intense downpours from Tuesday evening through Thursday.