ENVIRONMENT

Rain pounds Beijing as Typhoon Dolphin sweeps through China

PUBLISHED Aug 12, 2026, 4:35 AM ET

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Rain pounds Beijing as Typhoon Dolphin sweeps through China

Media Bias Meter

Sources: 14

Left 21%

Center 79%

Sources: 14

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Reuters) - China's strongest typhoon this year lashed wide swathes ‌of the country, battering the capital with bouts of intense rain that flooded key roads and stranded vehicles, after setting new rainfall records in central and eastern provinces. The world's second-largest economy is increasingly battling destructive weather that scientists link to climate change, especially this year, as an emerging El Niño pattern boosts temperatures and fuels more frequent and intense typhoons.The capital declared its second-highest rainstorm ⁠warning, suspending 250 bus routes and shutting 150 tourist attractions, while 10 subway lines ran at reduced speed, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday. The downpours turned a multi-lane roadway in Beijing into a virtual river, bringing traffic to a standstill with cars and buses partially submerged, video images showed on China's Rednote. Its northern district of Changping received the highest hourly rainfall on Wednesday, authorities said, being doused with 90.7 mm (3.6 inches) within an hour after 9 a.m. The typhoon has weakened this week after travelling 6,000 km (3,700 miles) to hit land on Sunday in the eastern province of Zhejiang, but its remnants ‌are ⁠drawing tropical moisture deep inland, threatening floods.Scores of cars crowded a bridge that stayed above the encroaching floods in the province's coastal city of Yuhuan after almost 200 mm (8 inches) of rain that submerged nearby streets, social media footage verified by Reuters showed. State media said rainfall records were shattered in parts of Zhejiang and the central provinces ⁠of Henan and Hubei this week. Records for a single day of rain in August were smashed in the city of Wugang, home to one of China's largest steel companies, which received 209.5 mm (8.2 inches) of rain, while Xiangyang ⁠received 169.1 mm (6.6 inches). People in northern and central regions geared up for more days of rain from the remnants of the storm's vast rain bands. Chinese meteorologists are reaching for a new generation of artificial intelligence ⁠weather models to bolster traditional forecasting systems and beef up resilience to extreme weather.Each year, extreme rainfall causes billions of dollars in economic losses as manufacturing is disrupted and crops are washed away.

By Emily Rhodes | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

On August 9, 2026, Typhoon Dolphin made landfall near Yuhuan in Zhejiang province.
On August 10, 2026, severe coastal flooding and strong winds disrupted local transport infrastructure.
On August 11, 2026, storm remnants moved deep inland, triggering torrential downpours across Hubei.
On August 12, 2026, Beijing declared an orange rainstorm warning amid severe urban flooding.
On August 12, 2026, Wugang recorded a historic single-day August rainfall total of 209.5mm.
On August 12, 2026, Xiangyang recorded 169.1mm of rainfall, shattering local meteorological records.
On August 12, 2026, transportation networks across northern and central provinces experienced widespread service suspensions.
On August 12, 2026, authorities deployed emergency personnel and utilized AI models for tracking.
Future climate patterns will likely amplify destructive tropical storm landfalls.
Future meteorological frameworks will integrate advanced artificial intelligence models extensively.

News Intelligence

US markets face potential supply chain disruptions from Chinese manufacturing halts.
Climate change patterns will increase extreme weather severity and global risks.
Residents, commuters, manufacturers, and municipal agencies in affected Chinese provinces.
Monitor official meteorological updates and verify regional emergency alerts closely.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 14
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 3
Neutral:: 11

Explain Framing

Left: Focuses heavily on state emergency response and technological disaster management. Center: Emphasizes verified meteorological records, infrastructure disruption, and climate change links. Right: Highlights economic losses, supply chain vulnerabilities, and regulatory challenges.