Typhoon Dolphin may make landfall along coastal areas from Zhejiang to Fujian

China's National Meteorological Center continued to issue a yellow typhoon alert at 6 a.m. on Friday as Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year, strengthened over the western Pacific and moved closer to China's eastern coastal areas.

The storm is expected to affect coastal regions from east China's Zhejiang Province to northern Fujian, with a possible landfall between the afternoon of August 9 and the morning of August 10.

According to meteorological observations, the center of Dolphin was located over the northwest Pacific Ocean at 5 a.m. on Friday, about 900 kilometers east of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. The typhoon had maximum sustained winds near its center of 42 meters per second and a central pressure of 955 hectopascals.

Forecasters said Dolphin is expected to move westward at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, with its intensity remaining stable or strengthening slightly. After crossing the Ryukyu Islands during the day on Friday and entering the East China Sea, the typhoon is expected to slow down and gradually approach the coastal areas of east China.

The forecast indicates that Dolphin may make landfall along the coast from Zhejiang to northern Fujian between the afternoon of August 9 and the morning of August 10, with wind speeds of 35 to 42 meters per second (typhoon or strong typhoon level). After making landfall, it is expected to move northwestward and gradually weaken.

From 8 a.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, strong winds are forecast across the southern Yellow Sea, the Yangtze River estuary, waters east of Taiwan, the Bashi Channel, Hangzhou Bay, and Zhejiang's coastal areas. Heavy rainfall is expected to affect parts of northern Taiwan Island during the same period.