Typhoon Dolphin Strikes Eastern China, Putting AI Weather Forecasting to the Test

Typhoon Dolphin made two landfalls in eastern China's Zhejiang province on August 9, 2026, prompting Beijing to issue its highest red alert. The storm caused widespread disruptions, including flooding in Shanghai and the cancellation of over 1,000 flights. Alongside traditional forecasting, China deployed advanced AI weather models like Fengwu, which predicted the landfall location to within 30 kilometers five days in advance, though AI still lags in predicting storm intensity.

Typhoon Dolphin landfall

• ▪Typhoon Dolphin first touched down at 17:30 local time on August 9, 2026, on the coast of Taizhou, Zhejiang province, with maximum winds near the center reaching 42 meters per second (94 mph).
• ▪Typhoon Dolphin made its second landfall on the coast of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, at approximately 18:40 local time on August 9, 2026.
• ▪Typhoon Dolphin made two landfalls in eastern Zhejiang province, China, on the evening of Sunday, August 9, 2026.
• ▪Prior to Typhoon Dolphin's landfall, Beijing issued its highest storm alert, a red alert, as Zhejiang province and Shanghai were forecast to enter the storm's "dangerous semicircle" of stronger winds and heavier rainfall.

Flight cancellations

• ▪At Shanghai Pudong International Airport, 78 departures and 123 arrivals were cancelled, and 317 of 930 scheduled departures were delayed as of 7:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 8, 2026, due to Typhoon Dolphin.
• ▪The approach of Typhoon Dolphin led to the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights and the suspension of some rail services in eastern China.
• ▪Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport cancelled 72 flights, including 36 departures and 36 arrivals, on Saturday, August 8, 2026, due to Typhoon Dolphin.

Chinese AI weather models

• ▪During Typhoon Dolphin's approach, China tested a new generation of artificial intelligence weather models, including Shanghai AI Laboratory's Fengwu, Huawei's Pangu, and Fudan University's Fuxi, alongside traditional forecasting systems.
• ▪Developers reported that the Chinese AI weather model Fengwu outperformed Google's GraphCast across approximately 80% of evaluated weather variables and extended global medium-range forecasts beyond 10 days.

AI forecasting speed advantages

• ▪Five days before Typhoon Dolphin made landfall, the Fengwu AI model predicted the landfall time and location in mainland China to within 30 minutes and 30 kilometers (19 miles).
• ▪Unlike conventional numerical weather models that simulate atmospheric physics on supercomputers, AI models learn patterns from historical observations to generate forecasts in a fraction of the time.

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