Typhoon Dolphin raged over Japan‘s southern regions on Saturday, causing some injuries and blackouts.
Okinawa and Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture were the areas expected to be worst affected.
The storm is expected to move on to China, making landfall along its eastern and southern coast between late Sunday and early Monday, with Chinese authorities shutting down ports and ferry services ahead of the storm.
What do we know about Typhoon Dolphin in Japan?
- The typhoon has brought maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers per hour (roughly 100 miles per hour) and gusts reaching 216 kph
- Authorities in Okinawa prefecture said 240 people had taken shelter at evacuation centers in the region on Friday
- Five elderly people were reported to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries
- Japan Meteorological Agency forecast strong winds, heavy rain and high waves in the Okinawa region through Sunday
- The Naha Airport on Okinawa Island said it closed on Friday, and all domestic and international flights in and out of Naha, the prefectural capital, have been canceled
- Power was cut to some 14,000 buildings in Okinawa
What preparations is China making for Typhoon Dolphin?
The China National Meteorological Centre Typhoon Dolphin has said Typhoon Dolphin will probably make landfall between the city of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and the city of Fuding in Fujian province.
Zhejiang has raised its coastal typhoon alert to its highest level, while ceasing port operations and suspending 162 passenger ferry routes.
The storm is expected to bring rain and strong winds to eastern China, including parts of Shanghai, through August 12.
Some parts of eastern Zhejiang could be in for a deluge, forecasters say, with more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain possible.
Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang said it will stop its operations from 11:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) on Saturday and suspend all flights on Sunday.
Taiwan-China tensions over typhoon restrictions
Taiwan, where 63 international flights have been cancelled, is also expected to experience heavy rain in the north over the weekend.
New political friction between Taiwan and China has also arisen after Beijing ordered that ships passing through the Taiwan Strait must heed its traffic control
instructions amid the typhoon.
Taipei has slammed Beijing’s injunctions as “ridiculous,” saying that Beijing has no right to restrict access to international waters.
“The unreasonable and crude statement by the relevant Chinese Communist departments reflects an ignorance, disregard, and trampling of international order and norms. It is utterly ridiculous!” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement late on Friday.
China regards the democratically governed island as a breakaway territory of its own and also claims to own the strategic strait, a stance rejected by both Taipei and Washington.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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