NAHA - Large and powerful Typhoon No. 9 (Bavi) continued moving northwest on July 11, bringing violent winds, torrential rain, and widespread power outages to Okinawa as authorities warned that dangerous conditions would persist well into the afternoon despite the storm's center gradually moving away.
As of 11 a.m., the typhoon was centered about 120 kilometers north of Ishigaki Island. It maintained maximum sustained winds of 40 meters per second and maximum instantaneous gusts of 55 meters per second while a broad storm zone continued to cover the Sakishima Islands and much of Okinawa.
One of the typhoon's defining characteristics has been its unusually large wind field. The storm zone extends hundreds of kilometers from the center, allowing damaging winds to reach areas well away from the eye, including Okinawa's main island.
The strongest winds have occurred even after the typhoon's center began moving away. Kume Island recorded a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 45.3 meters per second at 9:26 a.m., the highest observed during the storm, while Miyakojima recorded a gust of 42.7 meters per second at 10:20 a.m. Earlier in the morning, Miyakojima recorded a 40-meter-per-second gust.
On Ishigaki Island, conditions briefly calmed as the eye of the typhoon passed overhead before winds rapidly intensified again. Images from the island showed motorcycles blown over by powerful gusts.
The typhoon's main rainband continued to cover Okinawa, with Miyako Island receiving 182.5 millimeters of rain over the previous 24 hours. Okinawa's main island, despite being more than 300 kilometers from the storm's center, recorded 153 millimeters because of the typhoon's broad circulation.
Rainfall was expected to intensify further through the afternoon as the most active rain clouds, concentrated south and east of the storm's center, continued moving across the Sakishima Islands. Hourly rainfall could exceed 80 millimeters, and some areas may receive more rain than the average total for the entire month of July, raising the risk of record-breaking rainfall, flooding, and landslides.
Power outages spread across the prefecture, with about 26,000 homes, mainly in the Sakishima Islands, losing electricity. Seven people were injured, including some who were knocked over by strong winds, while more than 180 residents sought shelter at evacuation centers.
Authorities warned that violent winds strong enough to damage or even collapse some houses remained possible in the Sakishima Islands. In addition to destructive winds, residents were urged to remain alert for high waves, storm surges, coastal flooding, and inundation.
Strong winds were also disrupting daily life on Okinawa's main island, where transportation and agriculture were affected despite the center of the typhoon remaining well offshore.
Although the typhoon is forecast to continue moving north at roughly the speed of a bicycle before weakening into a tropical depression over the Asian continent around Tuesday, its slow movement is expected to prolong hazardous weather across Okinawa. The Okinawa Meteorological Observatory also warned that a linear rainband could develop over the Sakishima Islands through the evening of July 11, sharply increasing the risk of flooding and other heavy rain disasters.
Residents were urged to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay in safe locations until the storm weakens and conditions improve later in the day.
