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China braces for Typhoon Dolphin after storm lashes Japan's southern islands

Asia-Pacific 4 sources 4 countries 51m ago

The storm has cut power to at least 44,000 buildings and injured five people on the Japanese island. Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s ​southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, while China shut ports ‌and halted ferries ahead of the storm’s expected arrival on its east coast. Five elderly people, three of whom fell due to strong winds, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in Okinawa while another person was injured in Kagoshima prefecture, authorities said.

Nearly 39,000 buildings were without power in Kagoshima while just over 12,000 were affected in Okinawa. Domestic airlines, ANA ​and Japan Airlines cancelled flights to and from Okinawa. The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (90 mph) with gusts reaching 216 ​kph.

Okinawa and Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture are the main areas expected to be affected in Japan. TYPHOON EXPECTED TO ⁠MAKE LANDFALL IN CHINA In China, where the typhoon is expected to make landfall between late Sunday and early Monday, authorities have designated Dolphin ​as an orange-category typhoon — the second-highest level. Worried about the risk of flooding and landslides, authorities also raised the emergency response level for Dolphin by one ​notch to level III, the second-lowest level.

The typhoon is most likely to make landfall between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province and is expected to have winds of 38-45 metres per second (85-101 mph) near its centre, according to China’s National Meteorological Center. China’s National Marine Forecasting Center on Saturday maintained its highest, ​red-level warning for waves, forecasting 5-to-8-metre (16-to-26-foot) waves in coastal waters off Zhejiang through Sunday afternoon. Under an orange-level warning, waves in coastal waters off Shanghai ​and northern Fujian could be 3 to 5.5 metres.

On Saturday evening, Chinese authorities issued five weather and disaster warnings, including orange alerts for typhoon, heavy rain, and ‌geological-disaster risks, ⁠along with a red alert for mountain torrents. PORTS AND AIRPORTS HALT OPERATIONS Rain and strong winds are expected to affect eastern China through August 12, including parts of Shanghai and neighbouring provinces. Some areas could see short bursts of rainfall exceeding 80 mm an hour, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds.

Zhejiang, one of China’s biggest provincial economies and a manufacturing and export hub, raised it… Typhoon Dolphin has lashed Japan's southern islands of Okinawa and turned towards China, where it is expected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday local time. Typhoon Dolphin battered Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people and leaving more than 50,000 buildings without power, as China closed ports and suspen...

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