Typhoon Dolphin continued to move toward Okinawa on Wednesday. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Typhoon Dolphin was located at latitude 26.3°N and longitude 132.9°E which put the center about 355 miles (570 km) east of Okinawa. Dolphin was moving toward the west at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 115 m.p.h. (185 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 956 mb.
Typhoon Dolphin weakened slowly on Wednesday. The circulation around Dolphin pulled some drier air close to the core of the typhoon. The drier air caused thunderstorms in some parts of Typhoon Dolphin to weaken.
There was still a small circular eye at the center of Typhoon Dolphin. The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms still were revolving around the core of Dolphin’s circulation. There were wider areas of clear air in between the rainbands. Storms near the core of Dolphin generated less upper level divergence that pumped less mass away from the typhoon. The removal of mass in the upper levels was less than the convergence of mass in the lower levels of the atmosphere. So, the surface pressure increased on Wednesday.
The circulation around Typhoon Dolpin was still large on Wednesday. Winds to typhoon force extended out 140 miles (220 km) from the center of Dolphin’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 305 miles (490 km) from the center of Typhoon Dolphin.
The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Dolphin is 13.9. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 44.7 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 58.6. Typhoon Dolphin is similar in intensity to Hurricane Sandy was when Sandy hit the East Coast of the U.S. in 2012. Typhoon Dolphin is not quite as big as Sandy was.
Typhoon Dolphin will move through an environment that will be favorable for a strong typhoon during the next 24 hours. Dolphin will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30°C. It will move under the middle of an upper level ridge that is over the Western North Pacific Ocean. The upper level winds are weak near the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear. However, the drier air being pulled into Dolphin’s circulation will inhibit intensification. Typhoon Dolphin is likely to maintain its intensity on Thursday.
Typhoon Dolphin will move around the southern side of a high pressure system that is over the Western North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Dolphin toward the west during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track, the center of Typhoon Dolphin will be near Minami Daito Jima in 12 hours. The center of Typhoon Dolpin will approach Okinawa in 24 hours,
Typhoon Dolphin will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Minami Daito Jima and to the central Ryukyu Islands including Okinawa later this week. Heavy rains are likely to cause flash floods in some locations. Typhoon Dolphin could also cause a storm surge of up to 10 feet (3 meters) along the coast of some of the islands.
Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Kujira dropped heavy rain on parts of Luzon. Kujira weakened to a tropical depression after the center moved over Luzon. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Tropical Depression Kujira was located at latitude 17.3°N and longitude 121.6°E which put the center about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Cauayan, Philippines. Kujira was moving toward the east-southeast at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 35 m.p.h. (55 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 997 mb.
