East Asia

Japan, Taiwan and China Brace for Typhoon Dolphin

Is the typhoon expected given the weather patterns — or is the a rather unusual occurrence?

Published 2 hours ago

Japan, Taiwan and China Brace for Typhoon Dolphin

Story

Above: Staff at a port in Wenzhou in China's Zhejiang province strengthen moorings on Aug. 5, 2026. Image credit: Cai Kuanyuan/Xinhua/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Typhoon Dolphin is already the fifth Category 5 typhoon of this year and this is what one can expect during the warm waters of a strong El Niño event. For instance, the very strong El Niño year of 1997 saw 11 super typhoons in the Northwest Pacific.

Yale Climate Connections

Narrative B

While this is the 13th typhoon of 2026, this is a rare event because Typhoon Dolphin developed just west of the International Date Line. It is very unusual for typhoons to travel that distance and still reach mainland China.

China Daily