Shanghai, August 9, 2026 – Typhoon “White Dolphin,” the 13th typhoon of this year, has been continuously sweeping across Shanghai. For the first time in 13 years, the city has issued a red rainstorm warning. Additionally, the massive damping system of the Shanghai Center, China’s tallest building, was visibly swaying.
At 10:30 on August 9, the Shanghai Center Meteorological Observatory upgraded the rainstorm warning for the central urban area from orange to red, predicting that the accumulated precipitation in the next 6 hours would exceed 220 millimeters. This is the first time the new warning standard has been triggered, with the last red rainstorm warning occurring during Typhoon “Fit” in 2013.
The Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters office stated that since the morning of the 9th, influenced by the peripheral circulation of the typhoon, Shanghai has experienced widespread heavy rain, localized severe rain, and even torrential rain, accompanied by strong winds exceeding level 6, leading to flooding on over a hundred roads and underground passages in areas such as Pudong, Huangpu, Changning, and Xuhui.
According to monitoring data from “Shanghai Flood Control,” at 11:40, the place with the highest real-time rainfall was Yangsi Gate (outside the gate), reaching 145 millimeters; followed by Sanjiang Road Bridge with 136 millimeters, and Shanghai Zoo with 130 millimeters. Other areas like People’s Square, Chuansha Metro Station, and Yangjing Gate (inside the gate) all recorded over 110 millimeters.
Hourly rainfall at Xujiahui Station in Shanghai briefly surged to the highest in the country, while the rainfall in three hours in the Tangqiao Street of Pudong reached a high of 204.5 millimeters. In Pudong Zhuqiao Town, there was even a gust of wind reaching level 11.
As of 11:45, there were still over 30 flooded spots in Pudong, Huangpu, Changning, and Xuhui.
Around noon, under the influence of Typhoon “White Dolphin,” the massive damping system of the Shanghai Center, China’s tallest building, was visibly swaying.
Furthermore, as reported by The Paper, as of 2 p.m. on the 9th, out of the city’s 543 parks, 18 were temporarily closed due to renovations, and 525 were closed due to the influence of the typhoon. All ongoing garden greening projects in the city have been suspended, and construction personnel have been evacuated.
The “Shanghai Municipal Postal Administration” issued an emergency notice on the 9th, announcing a full suspension of operations for all express delivery companies in districts including Pudong, Huangpu, Jing’an, Xuhui, Changning, Putuo, Hongkou, Yangpu, and Minhang. Normal operations will resume only after the red rainstorm warning signal is lifted.
According to Dong Lin, Chief Meteorologist of the China Meteorological Administration, “White Dolphin” is a super-long-lived typhoon with an extensive track record and may become the first typhoon to generate near the International Date Line and make landfall in China with tropical storm-level intensity.