Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in densely populated eastern China on Sunday, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain after authorities issued their highest-level typhoon warning and moved nearly 1 million people from vulnerable areas.

China’s National Meteorological Centre said the storm’s centre crossed the coastline near Yuhuan City in Zhejiang Province at around 5:30 pm local time, with maximum winds near the centre exceeding 150 kmph. Authorities had been preparing for the storm for days, suspending transport and other services across parts of its projected path as the powerful system approached China’s eastern coast.

The scale of the preparations was significant, with authorities relocating more than 900,000 residents from Wenzhou and opening more than 1,000 emergency shelters. In Fujian Province, nearly 99,000 people were also moved from areas considered at risk on Saturday evening, according to state media.

The National Meteorological Centre warned that parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive between 250 mm and 500 mm of rain, raising concerns over flooding, landslides and other weather-related hazards.

The typhoon also triggered major disruptions to China’s aviation network. Nearly 1,400 flights operating in and out of Shanghai’s two main passenger airports were cancelled on Sunday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

At Hangzhou airport in neighbouring Zhejiang Province, another 270 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled as authorities moved to limit aviation operations amid deteriorating weather conditions.

More than 200 ferry routes in Zhejiang and Fujian were also suspended, while offshore projects were halted and hundreds of construction vessels were ordered back to port.

China’s National Meteorological Centre issued a red typhoon alert, its highest warning level, on Sunday morning.The weather agency forecast “extraordinary torrential rain” across parts of central and eastern Zhejiang and warned that heavy precipitation could also affect Shanghai, Fujian, Anhui and Jiangsu through Monday afternoon.

Typhoon Dolphin was expected to weaken after making landfall while continuing inland in a northwesterly direction. Some train services in affected areas were also suspended as authorities prioritised passenger safety.

The storm’s impact was not limited to mainland China. Before reaching China, Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and strong winds to Japan’s Okinawa, where seven people reportedly suffered minor injuries.

One of those injured was a man aged over 100 who was blown over by strong winds, fell and struck his head, according to Okinawa’s government.

More than 5,000 households in Okinawa were also without electricity on Sunday afternoon. In Taiwan, dozens of ferry services were suspended and more than 180 flights cancelled as the storm brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island’s north.

The storm also produced an unusual weather effect farther south in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Observatory recorded a temperature of 36.9°C, with the agency attributing the extreme heat to warm air pushed over the territory by Typhoon Dolphin.

The observatory warned that as the storm moved towards Zhejiang and inland, its outer circulation could continue producing exceptionally hot conditions in Hong Kong through Tuesday.

Dolphin’s arrival comes only around two weeks after Typhoon Noul struck southern Guangdong Province. Chinese authorities had described Noul as the strongest storm to hit China this year at the time. Before reaching China, Noul killed three people and damaged hundreds of homes in the Philippines.