Typhoon Dolphin struck Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, leaving six people injured and cutting electricity to over 50,000 homes. The storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (90 mph) with gusts reaching 216 kph, has triggered significant travel disruptions and emergency preparations across the region.
In Okinawa, five elderly residents were injured, with three falling due to intense winds, while a sixth person was hurt in Kagoshima prefecture. Power grid failures impacted approximately 39,000 buildings in Kagoshima and 12,000 in Okinawa. Consequently, Japan Airlines and ANA have suspended flights serving the Okinawa region, which, alongside Amami island, remains the primary area of concern in Japan.
As the typhoon moves toward China, authorities have designated it an orange-category storm, the second-highest alert level. Officials have raised the emergency response level to III—the second-lowest tier—due to mounting concerns over potential landslides and flooding. China’s National Meteorological Centre anticipates the storm will make landfall between Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province, with center winds ranging from 85 to 101 mph.
Marine safety remains a priority, with the National Marine Forecasting Centre maintaining a red-level warning for waves, predicting swells of 5 to 8 meters in coastal waters off Zhejiang through Sunday. Shanghai and northern Fujian are under an orange alert, with expected wave heights between 3 and 5.5 meters. By Saturday evening, Chinese officials had issued five distinct weather and disaster warnings, including alerts for heavy rain, geological risks, and mountain torrents.
Economic and transport hubs are bracing for impact. Zhejiang has elevated its coastal typhoon alert to the highest level, resulting in the suspension of port operations and ferry services. Ningbo Lishe International Airport has canceled all flights for Sunday, and Shanghai’s Yangshan port has been cleared of vessels. Rail services in the Yangtze River Delta are also scheduled for suspension starting Sunday.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds are forecast to persist in eastern China, including Shanghai and neighboring provinces, until August 12. Some regions could experience intense bursts of rain exceeding 80 mm per hour. Meanwhile, in Beijing, authorities are actively monitoring the storm’s trajectory while drafting evacuation and flood-control strategies for the capital.
Taiwan has also felt the storm’s impact, reporting the cancellation of 78 flights, primarily international routes. While heavy rain is expected across the island’s northern regions, no official evacuation orders had been issued as of Saturday.
Tensions have surfaced regarding maritime navigation during the storm. China issued an order requiring vessels traversing the Taiwan Strait to follow its traffic control instructions. Taipei officials dismissed the directive as “ridiculous,” asserting that Beijing lacks the authority to restrict access to international waters.
The dispute underscores the broader geopolitical friction surrounding the Taiwan Strait, which China claims as its own territory. This claim is explicitly rejected by both Taipei and Washington, ensuring that the storm’s path through the strategic waterway remains a point of diplomatic contention.
TOKYO/BEIJING: Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, while China shut ports and halted ferries ahead of the storm’
Nearly 39,000 buildings were without power in Kagoshima while just over 12,000 were affected in Okinawa.
The typhoon is most likely to make landfall between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province and is expected to have winds of 38-45 metres per second (85-101 mph) near its centre, according