Typhoon Dolphin has emerged from Japan’s southern islands with renewed strength, maintaining an enormous circulation as it begins its final approach toward China’s densely populated eastern coast.
Satellite imagery on Friday showed an exceptionally broad shield of cloud stretching almost 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) across the western Pacific. China’s National Meteorological Centre estimated that the area covered by the storm was nearly 13 times the size of Zhejiang province, or approximately 1,230 times the size of Hong Kong.
Dolphin previously reached super typhoon intensity, generating sustained winds above 241 km/h (150 mph), before weakening as it approached the Ryukyu Islands. The cyclone then regained strength after crossing parts of southern Japan.
As Meteo Events previously reported, Dolphin was forecast to gradually weaken after reaching Category 4-equivalent intensity. While the storm did lose strength, it has since reorganised, highlighting how fluctuations in intensity can continue as a tropical cyclone crosses warm waters and interacts with nearby islands.
The Japan Meteorological Agency classified Dolphin as a large and strong typhoon on Friday evening, with a central pressure of 935 hPa and maximum sustained winds of around 162 km/h (101 mph). That intensity is broadly comparable to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, although classification methods differ between forecasting agencies. JMA data showed the system remaining highly organised after its passage near Okinawa.
The centre of Dolphin passed close to Okinawa on Friday, bringing destructive winds, torrential rain and high waves. Maximum sustained winds reached 144 km/h (89 mph), while gusts were reported at up to 198 km/h (123 mph).
Typhoon Dolphin pounds Okinawa, Japan with fierce winds and dangerous conditions. Evacuation orders issued for nearly 260,000 people and 500+ flights canceled. https://t.co/upTxtB2EtJ pic.twitter.com/JjTaTMFy0c
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) August 7, 2026
More than 500 flights were cancelled, Naha Airport closed and evacuation orders were issued for nearly 260,000 people across Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures. Forecasters also warned that a narrow, slow-moving band of thunderstorms could produce intense rainfall and flash flooding.
Despite its interaction with the Japanese islands, Dolphin retained a large, well-defined circulation over the warm waters of the East China Sea. The storm’s expansive size means that dangerous weather will extend far beyond its centre, with strong winds, heavy rain and high waves arriving well before landfall.
Immense waves smashing into the north shore of Okinawa at Cape Hedo ahead of typhoon Dolphin – you can’t hear much of what I’m saying but you get the gist. Filmed from a safe location I’ve been to many times during typhoons pic.twitter.com/42yOIrpuNx
— James Reynolds (@EarthUncutTV) August 6, 2026
Where will Typhoon Dolphin make landfall?
Dolphin is forecast to continue generally westward before turning west-northwest as it approaches China. Landfall is currently expected between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning somewhere along the coast between Zhejiang and northern Fujian.
The exact point of landfall remains uncertain because the steering pattern around the typhoon is relatively weak. A split in the subtropical high, together with nearby ridges, troughs and other tropical systems, has made Dolphin’s future direction more difficult to determine.
China’s National Meteorological Centre said Dolphin could reach the coast at typhoon or severe typhoon intensity. It may then move westward and linger over southern China for two or three days, or curve northwestward and interact with a westerly weather system.
That second scenario could carry Dolphin’s deep tropical moisture much farther inland, potentially producing prolonged rain across eastern, northern and northeastern China next week.
Forecast guidance indicates widespread rainfall accumulations of 300 to 450 mm (12 to 18 inches) near and north of the landfall area. Isolated totals could approach 600 mm (24 inches), particularly where moist onshore winds are forced upward by coastal hills and mountains.
Such rainfall would create a serious risk of flash flooding, river flooding and landslides. The threat will be especially high in steep terrain, low-lying urban districts and communities near smaller rivers that can rise rapidly.
Shanghai may avoid the typhoon’s inner core, depending on the eventual track, but the city could still experience tropical storm-force winds, storm surge, rough seas and local flash flooding.
Waves of 6 to 10 metres (20 to 33 feet) have already been forecast across parts of the East China Sea, with hazardous conditions also expected around the Yangtze River estuary, Hangzhou Bay and the Zhejiang coast.
China deploys drones and AI ahead of landfall
China has maintained a yellow typhoon alert for Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan. Ferry routes have been suspended, coastal construction halted and fishermen ordered to return to port. More than 3,000 fishing vessels in Taizhou alone had already reached shelter earlier this week.
Drones are being used to patrol offshore areas, while an artificial intelligence forecasting system is helping authorities assess Dolphin’s route, intensity and possible landfall over the next 240 hours. The South China Morning Post reported that the technology forms part of preparations during the cyclone’s critical 48-hour approach window.
Although Dolphin is weaker than it was at its super typhoon peak, its extraordinary size, renewed organisation and vast moisture supply make it a major wind and flood threat for eastern China.
