Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, August 8, 2026, injuring five people and cutting power to approximately 14,000 buildings. Three of the injured elderly individuals fell due to strong winds, and another person was injured in Kagoshima prefecture, according to authorities. Nearly 39,000 buildings lost power in Kagoshima, while just over 12,000 were affected in Okinawa.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that as of 3am GMT (11am Singapore time), the storm was about 160km northwest of Kume Island in Okinawa, moving northwest at 15km/h. Typhoon Dolphin had maximum sustained winds of 162km/h with gusts reaching 216km/h.

Domestic airlines ANA and Japan Airlines cancelled flights to and from Okinawa.

Meanwhile, China has taken precautionary measures ahead of the typhoon's expected landfall between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province. The China National Meteorological Center forecasts winds of 38 to 45 metres per second near the storm's center and anticipates some areas of eastern Zhejiang could receive more than 600mm of rain.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang announced it will halt operations from 11:30pm on Saturday and suspend all flights on Sunday. Additionally, 78 international flights were cancelled in Taiwan due to the typhoon.

Sources