The strongest typhoon to hit China in 2026, Dolphin packed an unusually resilient storm system that travelled nearly 6000km before making landfall at the weekend, drenching the country's eastern coast and bringing with it a sprawling cloud field.
The storm's reach has extended as far as Beijing, more than 1000km north of Hubei.
Four districts on the capital's outskirts activated the highest level of emergency flood responses, as the city braced for the expected onset of more than one-third of its annual rainfall over 24 hours starting late on Tuesday.
Hubei, a major auto and high-tech electronics manufacturing hub and home to more than 58 million people, was just recovering from two rare tornadoes last month after Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least 11 people.
In the city of Xiangyang, where Hubei authorities issued a yellow warning for landslides and floods, pedestrians waded through water-covered streets as shared electric scooters were partially submerged.
On Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for heavy rain, the second-highest warning level, with Hubei expected to receive as much as 250mm of rain in a 24-hour period.
As well as Xiangyang, Hubei authorities also issued yellow warnings for cities including Huanggang and Suizhou.
As of Tuesday morning, water levels at 35 reservoirs in Xiangyang had exceeded flood-control thresholds, prompting authorities to relocate 9705 people.
Scenic areas across the province have announced temporary closures, including the popular Three Gorges Dam tourist area in Yichang.
All but two of Xiangyang's 59 major scenic spots were shut.
Of 107 major highway and waterway construction projects under way in the province, 26 projects deemed high-risk have been suspended.
Dolphin's peripheral airflow will be forced to rise when it encounters the mountains in Hubei's western region, causing rainfall to intensify several times over, Wang Xiaoling, deputy director of Hubei's provincial meteorological observatory, told local newspaper Hubei Daily.
In neighbouring Henan province, authorities issued a red flash-flood alert as the storm continued to channel moisture northward.
Forecasters said some areas could receive up to 350mm of rain through Wednesday afternoon.
Japan, which was battered by Dolphin before the storm reached China, was also preparing for landslides, flooding and strong winds after the Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon No.15, Chan-hom, could move across Japan's mainland later on Tuesday.
