What could be the most powerful typhoon in decades is threatening the country’s southwest.
Weather officials expect the typhoon to develop to emergency-warning level as it approaches or makes landfall in the Kyushu region from Sunday to Monday.
Japan Meteorological Agency official Nakamoto Yoshihisa said, “The large and very powerful Typhoon Haishen is expected to intensify to emergency-warning level as it nears the regions of Okinawa early on Sunday and Amami later the same day.”
Japanese Land Ministry official Takamura Yuhei said, “There is an increasing risk of flooding from large rivers in Kyushu. There is also the danger of flooding in regions other than Kyushu.”
The Meteorological Agency is warning of record-breaking winds, high waves, storm surges and unprecedented heavy rains.
Weather officials say Typhoon Haishen was 160 kilometers south of Minami Daito Island in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday morning. It was moving north-west at 15 kilometers per hour.
It has a central atmospheric pressure of 920 hectopascals and is packing maximum winds of more than 180 kilometers per hour near the center — and gusts of up to 252 kilometers per hour.
The typhoon is affecting major transport networks. The operator of the Kyushu Shinkansen says services may be partially suspended on Sunday and cancelled all day Monday.
Airlines have canceled more than 80 domestic flights for Saturday. Most are to and from the southern parts of Kyushu and Okinawa.
Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200905_19/
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