Typhoon White Dolphin Remnants Trigger Flood Alerts Across East, North China

After making two landfalls in Zhejiang on August 9, Typhoon White Dolphin downgraded to a tropical storm but retains a lingering remnant circulation expected to cause extreme precipitation across North and East China. Between August 10 and August 12, heavy to torrential rain is forecast for Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and Beijing, with north-central Henan bracing for the heaviest downpours. Municipalities including Beijing have issued orange and localized red rainstorm alerts as authorities scramble to mitigate flood, mountain torrent, and urban waterlogging risks.

Unlike typical tropical cyclones that weaken rapidly after landfall, Typhoon White Dolphin's resilient residual vortex is lingering inland and moving north, threatening densely populated inland provinces with prolonged, localized extreme rainfall. High precipitation in mountainous and urban regions elevates risks of secondary disasters such as mountain torrents, small river flooding, and urban waterlogging across major economic centers and agricultural hubs.

Typhoon White Dolphin, which made two landfalls in Zhejiang province on August 9, continues to pose severe flood risks across eastern and northern China despite weakening to a tropical storm, according to reports from People's Daily and China News Service. Rather than dissipating quickly as typical landfalling cyclones do, the storm's resilient remnant circulation is pushing northwestward and northward, triggering widespread torrential rain warnings. From the night of August 10 through August 12, heavy downpours to extreme rainstorms are expected across northern Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, southern Hebei, and southern Beijing, with north-central Henan anticipated to receive the heaviest precipitation, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Central Meteorological Observatory Chief Forecaster Zhang Fanghua noted that the remnant vortex is expected to stall near the border of Henan, Hubei, and Anhui before potentially shifting southward and moving back toward the sea by August 15, with potential subsequent impacts on Northeast China. In Beijing, combination with a western trough system is forecast to bring severe rain from August 11 evening through August 13 daytime, with the heaviest rainfall occurring early morning through night on August 12. Localized areas including Fangshan, Daxing, Tongzhou, Mentougou, and Yanshan face heightened downpour risks. Beijing upgraded its municipal rainstorm warning to orange on August 10, while seven districts—including Fangshan, Daxing, Tongzhou, Mentougou, Fengtai, Huairou, and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area—issued top-level red warnings. In Anhui, severe weather is projected to last through August 14, with cumulative rainfall in the Huaibei and Dabie Mountain areas reaching up to 180 to 200 millimeters, accompanied by severe wind gusts up to level 12 in mountainous zones. Hubei authorities warned of elevated risks of mountain floods, small river inundations, and urban waterlogging, particularly in northern and western areas such as Xiangyang, Suizhou, and Shiyan. In response to the extreme weather threats, China's Ministry of Water Resources and regional flood control authorities have initiated rolling emergency consultations and deployed flood defense protocols across impacted basins.