Okinawa City Warnings Or Dangers

The weather on Okinawa is subtropical and just gorgeous most of the time. There is a rainy season that lasts about 2 or 3 weeks and it doesn't get cold.

However, Okinawa has it's share of typhoons. These can be really powerful storms and can/do kill people here each year. Do not get the idea that there is death and destruction like in the states from hurricanes though.

Most of the people who die here in a typhoon, die doing something stupid like trying to surf of the 40 to 50 foot waves that can occur or get washed into the sea trying to take pictures of the surf as it comes in.

Due to the type of building construction on the island, the storms generally do not cause that much structural damage, even though we have experience 150+ knot winds. We can sometimes have problems with the amount rain from a typhoon, but it too is usually minor.

In fact, due to the number of storms per year, the islanders pretty much treat them as Americans treat thunderstorms. You can go out when the wind is whipping up to about 70 knots and McDonald's will still be open. Don't be fooled by the seemingly nonchalauntness though. Inwardly, they take the storms very seriously and are always prepared for water shortages and power outages.

The weather services (Japanese and American) are very good at predicting the path and intensity of storms approaching the island. As a traveler, you should be aware that the season runs from May through November. Check the Joint Typhoon Warning Center's link on storms in the Pacific before traveling during these months:

http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html

During typhoon Songda recently, travelers neglected to do this and were stranded inside the Naha airport for 2 days. Since the airport sits right on the water, it was too dangerous for them to leave the airport and attempt to find a hotel.