Chinese authorities have evacuated more than a million people from their homes in eastern China including Shanghai, as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall.

📻 Breaking It Down

It packed maximum wind speeds of 150km/h (94mph) when it first slammed into Yuhuan in the Zhejiang province at 17:30 (09:30 GMT) before making a second landfall in the city of Wenzhou about an hour later, meteorological authorities said.

The typhoon halted transportation across the region – 1,400 flights were cancelled in Shanghai alone.

Chinese authorities had earlier issued their highest-level red alert for Dolphin, but by Monday morning they downgraded it to a tropical storm.

📌 What You Need to Know

The storm is moving inland within China, and authorities are still warning of torrential rains, severe flooding and the risk of landslides through to Wednesday.

Heavy rain was forecast on Monday for the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and the city of Shanghai.

Local governments have urged people to avoid outdoor activities, while several top tourist attractions remain closed, including parts of Disneyland and Legoland, and several viewing platforms along the Bund in Shanghai.

Footage on state media show ground-floor businesses flooded in the former French Concession in Shanghai – an area popular with tourists – and people walking through ankle-deep waters.

Several state media outlets have reported that a nine-year-old boy from Wenling, Zhejiang is missing after being swept into the sea. Chinese officials have not reported any casualties.

Parts of Zhejiang could receive 250mm to 500mm of rain over the next few days, forecasters say.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya