Typhoon Dolphin struck Japan's Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring five people and leaving thousands without power, while China and Taiwan prepared for the storm's expected arrival with major port and flight cancellations.
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Japan's Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, leaving a trail of disruption across the region. Five elderly residents sustained non-life-threatening injuries, with three falling as a result of strong winds. The storm knocked out electricity to approximately 14,000 buildings, prompting major Japanese carriers ANA and Japan Airlines to cancel flights serving the area. As of early Saturday morning, the typhoon was positioned roughly 160 kilometres northwest of Kume Island, advancing northwest at a relatively slow pace of 15 kilometres per hour.
The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching 216 kilometres per hour. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Okinawa and Amami Island in Kagoshima prefecture faced the greatest exposure to the typhoon's effects.
China implemented extensive precautionary measures ahead of the storm's projected arrival along its eastern and southern coastline between late Sunday and early Monday. Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province were identified as the most likely landfall zones. The storm was expected to bring winds of 38 to 45 metres per second near its centre. Zhejiang province escalated its coastal typhoon alert to maximum level, halting port operations and suspending 162 passenger ferry routes. Ningbo Lishe International Airport announced it would cease operations from late Saturday evening and remain closed throughout Sunday. Shanghai's major Yangshan port was cleared of vessels by Friday evening, and certain rail services in the Yangtze River Delta region faced suspension from Sunday onwards.
Taiwan reported 63 international flight cancellations due to the typhoon, though authorities had not issued evacuation orders as of Saturday. Heavy rainfall was anticipated across northern Taiwan over the weekend.
