Torrential rain linked to Typhoon Dolphin flooded roads and stranded vehicles in Beijing on Wednesday after the storm set new rainfall records across parts of eastern and central China.

Beijing issued its second-highest rainstorm warning as authorities suspended 250 bus routes and closed 150 tourist attractions, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Ten subway lines operated at reduced speeds.

Images from the Chinese capital showed multi-lane roads turning into fast-moving channels of water, with cars and buses partially submerged. Changping district recorded Beijing’s heaviest hourly rain, receiving 90.7 mm in one hour after 9 am.

The typhoon had weakened after travelling about 6,000 km and making landfall in the eastern province of Zhejiang on Sunday. Its remnants, however, continued to draw tropical moisture inland, producing intense downpours far from the coast.

Rainfall records fall across provinces

Almost 200 mm of rain inundated streets in the coastal city of Yuhuan, where motorists crowded onto a bridge that remained above the floodwater. Reuters verified social-media footage showing the flooding.

State media reported new rainfall records in parts of Zhejiang and the central provinces of Henan and Hubei. Wugang received 209.5 mm in a day, breaking its August record, while Xiangyang recorded 169.1 mm.

Communities in northern and central China were preparing for further rainfall as the storm’s broad rain bands continued moving across the country. Flooding may persist even after a typhoon’s winds weaken because saturated soil, overflowing drainage systems and rivers can respond slowly.

Authorities had not announced a comprehensive national casualty figure in the initial report. Any casualty or evacuation numbers should therefore be updated from official sources before publication.

China faces intensifying weather risks

Dolphin is China’s strongest typhoon so far this year. The storm follows a period of destructive weather in several regions and has renewed attention on the pressure climate change is placing on cities, farms and industrial areas.

Scientists say a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the potential for intense rainfall. Reuters reported that an emerging El Niño pattern is also lifting temperatures and helping fuel more frequent and powerful typhoons this year.

Extreme rain causes billions of dollars in losses in China each year. Floods can damage crops, interrupt factory production, close roads and railways, and strain urban drainage networks.

China has begun using a new generation of artificial-intelligence weather models alongside traditional forecasting systems. Such models may improve the speed and accuracy of short-term warnings, but their public value depends on whether local governments can act quickly and communicate risks clearly.

The Beijing disruption illustrates how weakened tropical systems can remain dangerous. A storm does not need typhoon-strength winds over a city to produce severe flash flooding if its moisture bands release large volumes of rain in a short period.

The event has relevance for Indian readers because both countries face similar challenges from extreme monsoon rain, dense urban development and inadequate drainage. India and China are also major manufacturing centres, so weather-related factory and transport disruption can affect regional supply chains.

Beijing residents were advised to avoid flooded roads and closed tourist areas, while transport operators worked to restore normal services. The immediate outlook depends on the movement of Dolphin’s remnants and how much additional rain falls over already saturated districts.