Typhoon Dolphin batters Japan's Okinawa before bearing down on China
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- Typhoon Dolphin struck Japan's Okinawa on Saturday with maximum sustained winds of 162km/h (101mph), cutting power to at least 44,000 buildings and causing five non-life-threatening injuries, three from falls in strong winds.
- Naha International Airport closed Friday and cancelled all flights as the storm arrived, with NHK reporting toppled trees throughout Nago city and an overturned car leaking oil in a parking lot.
- Japan Meteorological Agency classified Dolphin as a "very strong" typhoon, warning of high waves, storm surges, and lightning strikes across Okinawa and Amami islands.
- Dolphin is expected to make landfall on China's eastern coast late Sunday or early Monday, prompting authorities to shut ports and schools ahead of its arrival.
- Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang will halt operations from 23:30 local time Saturday and suspend all flights Sunday, as the province raised its coastal typhoon alert to its highest level and halted port and ferry services.
- The storm is hitting during an active El Niño year, which experts say can produce more intense typhoons during the May–October western Pacific season, when Japan typically sees about three of roughly 25 regional cyclones make landfall.
Why it matters: A single typhoon is already disrupting power for 44,000 buildings and grounding flights on Okinawa; with China's Zhejiang province under its highest-level alert and airports, ports, and ferries shut, the storm will test cross-border emergency response and strand travelers across the East China Sea corridor through Monday.
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