OKINAWA, Japan – Typhoon Dolphin struck Okinawa in southern Japan on August 8, injuring five people and cutting power to more than 14,000 households, while authorities in China closed ports and suspended ferry services ahead of the storm’s expected approach. Japan’s Meteorological Agency said at 10 a.m. local time that the typhoon’s centre was about 160 kilometres northwest of Kume Island in Okinawa Prefecture. The storm was moving northwest at around 15 kilometres per hour, with maximum sustained winds near its centre of 162 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 216 kilometres per hour.
Okinawa authorities said five elderly people were injured, including three who were knocked down by strong winds. No deaths or life-threatening injuries were reported. Domestic airlines All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines cancelled flights to affected areas amid the severe weather. China’s National Meteorological Centre forecast that Typhoon Dolphin could make landfall along the country’s southern or eastern coast between Sunday night and Monday morning. The storm is expected to make landfall somewhere between Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province and Fuding in Fujian Province, potentially bringing maximum winds near its centre of 136–162 kilometres per hour.
Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to affect parts of eastern China through August 12, including areas of Shanghai and neighbouring provinces.
Some parts of eastern Zhejiang could receive accumulated rainfall exceeding 600 millimetres. Zhejiang authorities have raised the coastal typhoon warning to the highest level, while port operations have been suspended and 162 regular ferry routes cancelled. The typhoon is not expected to directly affect Thailand. However, Thailand remains under the influence of its normal seasonal southwest monsoon, which can continue to bring periods of heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas to parts of the country. Residents and travellers in Thailand should continue to monitor official weather updates, particularly in areas prone to heavy rainfall and coastal conditions. (TNA)
