Typhoon Dolphin is now in full effect as it's already playing havoc in the Japanese islands. The country has ordered evacuations for more than quarter of a million people in Kagoshima and Okinawa, cancelled more than 500 flights, and Toyota has suspended work at nine factories. Currently, the storm approaches with violent winds, heavy rain, and high waves.
A tad further west, China is bracing for Dolphin while already dealing with heavy rain and flooding, as previously reported. A number of Beijing districts have issued heavy-rain warnings, with risks of floods, mudslides and landslides, while more than 2,000 staff have been deployed around the capital and eastern and southern provinces are suspending ferries, halting construction and moving fishing boats.
The extreme storm is adding to a wider trend and pattern of extreme weather across East Asia this summer. In Japan, Dolphin threatens areas still recovering from last week's magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto, where thousands remain in evacuation centres. In China, the typhoon comes alongside floods in Shaanxi and widespread heat, with temperatures above 38°C in central and eastern regions.
