Weather in Okinawa on July 24th
☔️ Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today’s weather in Okinawa… Due to the indirect influence of Typhoon Francisco, it was windy all day. In the morning, there were brief showers, and from 12:30 PM, heavy rain poured down, which then turned into light rain around 1 PM. It’s quite amazing that we managed to complete the Okinawa snap shoot successfully. The photos turned out exceptionally well too 🥰
The temperature was a maximum of 29 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 26 degrees, making it the coolest day of the summer so far.
Depending on the airline, some flights were cancelled, but they are expected to resume normal operations on the 25th. The typhoon didn’t pass directly but had an indirect impact, and the 8th typhoon, expected to reach on the 26th-27th, is forecasted to weaken significantly by the time it reaches the Okinawa mainland due to the North Pacific high-pressure system 🌀
How to Get to American Village

This is what it looked like this morning. The morning temperature was 27 degrees, yet there were quite a few people wearing long clothes. Well… it’s not really surprising since people in Okinawa wear padded jackets even at 18 degrees Celsius. 😮💨

There was a scheduled Okinawa snap shoot at the American Village in the morning, but due to rain and strong winds, the schedule changed. However, since I was almost there, I decided to explore some great eateries and activities to enjoy on a rainy day and came back with some findings.

It’s the American Village, and the palm trees are swaying. The wind is indeed strong, but not to the extent that people are knocked over. Personally, I found it refreshing and pleasant.

It’s the beach side of Depot Island… Here, the palm trees were swaying more intensely in the wind… It was refreshing, so I sat on the outdoor terrace and enjoyed a cup of coffee.

In the morning at Depot Island… it was generally windy with very brief showers, but there were no issues wandering around all morning.

After noon, the rain started to fall more heavily. Up until then, it had been just a light drizzle…

After about 10 minutes, the rain started to come down quite heavily. As a result, everyone began heading towards the shopping area. I discovered some restaurants here that I hadn’t seen before, and I’ll make sure to review them all for you someday.
The Journey Back to Naha

The typhoon didn’t pass directly through Okinawa, but it was still within its indirect influence, bringing moderate winds and rain. By around 12:30 in the afternoon, it was raining heavily, to the point where I had to set the car wipers to the highest level.

It was manageable to ride a motorcycle, so the wind wasn’t particularly strong. Although the rain did fall from above, there were moments when it came down sideways.

This is Miebashi around 1 PM. The sun came out briefly. It was visible for about 10 minutes before disappearing again.

After enjoying a bowl of zenzai, I head out for an afternoon shoot.
If you visit Lawson convenience store, do try a bowl of zenzai, it’s delicious 😋

This is the view of Miebashi in the afternoon.
It stopped raining for a while… but it started raining again about 30 minutes later.
Indirect Typhoon Impact on Naminoue and Kokusai Street

The afternoon snap in Okinawa begins at Naminoue Shrine. Despite the considerable rain today, there were quite a few people visiting the shrine in Okinawa kimono. I spent about an hour at the shrine and, oh, many people in kimono came by. Of course, today’s client was also having a yukata shoot, so the rain did have an impact, but we still managed to capture some great shots. I usually take good photos even when it rains.

As you mentioned you would be arriving a bit late, I took the opportunity to take some photos of the shrine and observe Naminoue Shrine in more detail, which I hadn’t done before. Although the rain stopped for about five minutes at a time, it continued to fall almost constantly.

By the way, some flights have been delayed until tomorrow, and I noticed some people were quite sensitive about it. Please hang in there… It seems likely that flights will take off without any issues tomorrow. Starting this evening, we are moving out of the indirect influence of Typhoon Francisco, so it looks like the rain and wind will weaken by tomorrow.
- Related post: Naminoue Shrine

While waiting, I took a picture of my umbrella out of boredom. This is an umbrella I purchased at the Mucha Museum when I was living in Prague. It’s probably the most unique umbrella in Okinawa. [Google Map]

Now we are at Kokusai Street. After finishing the shoot at Naminoue, we moved here. There are many places to take shelter from the rain, so it seems less affected even if it rains. By the way, the reason I offer affordable Okinawa snap prices around Kokusai Street is simply because it’s right in front of my house. If I go to American Village or the northern areas, I have to drive, and if it rains, I need to reschedule, which increases the opportunity cost, hence the higher prices.

It seems there is some influence from the typhoon. Here, inside the market and surrounded by buildings, the flags are fluttering. However, the wind wasn’t particularly strong on Kokusai Street. It was stronger towards the sea.

The typhoon in Okinawa that I was anticipating was one where umbrellas turn inside out and people struggle to hold onto their flying umbrellas, capturing such moments in photographs. However, up until now, I have been greatly disappointed by the typhoons in Okinawa.

This is the view of Kokusai Street after the shoot. Perhaps due to the holiday season in Taiwan, there are many tourists. There are also many visitors drawn in by the Thursday weekend effect.

This was similar to the feeling I wanted, but something is missing. I need to capture a more intense photo to show you what an Okinawa typhoon is like, but it seems to lack the right impact.

This is the water level of the Miebashi River. Rainfall of 5.3mm is expected tomorrow, so it seems they are not releasing water. It is anticipated that Typhoon No. 8 will not bring much rain after the 26th. After the 28th, as true summer returns, it’s a time when water needs to be stored in advance.

I’m ending this evening with zenzai again. After being out all day shooting, I’m feeling a bit tired.
Okinawa Weather Video
Today, I spent the whole day outside, so I have quite a few video clips. I’m aiming for each to be around 5-8 seconds, but I’m not sure if they turned out well. I’m not really editing them. It’s a bit of a hassle.
Okinawa Weather Forecast

It appears that tomorrow’s weather warning will change from a strong wind advisory to a wave advisory. This means that flights should be able to take off and land. As of 8:30 PM on July 24th, we are moving out of the influence of Typhoon Francisco, but we should continue to monitor the situation closely. The expected rainfall for tomorrow is 5.3mm. [AccuWeather]

The 7th typhoon has already moved away from Okinawa, and the 8th typhoon, Komai, is moving north towards the Okinawa mainland. However, the North Pacific high-pressure system is still over Okinawa, so the forecast suggests that by the time the 8th typhoon reaches the Okinawa mainland, it will have turned into just rain clouds rather than a typhoon. Of course, I have snap bookings in Okinawa on the 25th and 26th, so I hope the rain stops soon. [Weather News Japan]
That’s all for today. I’ll wrap it up here and come back tomorrow with more weather updates from Okinawa. Matayasai 👋
- Recommended Post: Delicious Handmade Burgers at Yura Yura 2nd on Kokusai Street