A MASSIVE tropical storm dumped heavy rain on eastern China today, causing flooding in some places and disruption to daily life and transport.

Dolphin had forced at least 760,000 people to evacuate, including over 390,000 in the city of Taizhou in Zhejiang province. Authorities in Shanghai and Fujian provinces evacuated more than 210,000 and 160,000 people respectively from riskier areas.

Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports cancelled more than 900 flights — about 40 per cent of those scheduled — after some 1,300 were axed the day before, according to Shanghai Airport Group.

Shanghai also suspended some of its Metro lines on Monday and China Railway Chengdu Group suspended 115 trains, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Authorities warned that severe flooding and landslides were possible in some areas. State broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities in Yueqing, a city in Zhejiang province, were searching for people trapped in flooded homes.

The China Meteorological Administration said the storm was moving north-west at 9-12mph and was expected to continue weakening.

Dolphin made landfall on Sunday evening in Taizhou with winds of 93mph, after bringing heavy rain to northern Taiwan over the weekend.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Chan-hom was heading for Japan’s Pacific coast. 

The storm had 51mph winds on Monday morning and was forecast to strengthen slightly before landfall last night or early today, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Dolphin did not directly hit the Philippines, but it helped intensify seasonal monsoon rains that set off flooding and landslides on the main northern island region of Luzon.

There, the death toll after nearly a week of torrential rains, floods and a tropical storm last week has risen to 19, according to the government’s Office of Civil Defence.

More than a million people have been affected by the heavy monsoon rains and floods, including around 98,000 displaced from their homes.