The Japan Meteorological Agency on Saturday (Sept 17) warned of a “very dangerous” typhoon headed for the southern island of Kyushu, urging residents to evacuate before strong winds hit the area. Typhoon Nanmadol packed gusts of up to 270km on Saturday near the remote island of Minami Daito, 400km east of Okinawa Island, the weather agency said.
The storm is expected to approach or make landfall on Sunday in the southern Kagoshima prefecture of Kyushu before moving north the following day before heading toward Japan’s main island. “There are risks of unprecedented storms, high waves, storm surges and record rainfall,” Ryuta Kurora, head of the Japan Meteorological Agency’s forecasting unit, told reporters. “Extreme caution is required,” he said, urging residents to evacuate early. “It is a very dangerous typhoon.
Kurora said the weather agency was likely to issue the highest warning for Kagoshima later in the evening. “The wind will be so strong that some houses may collapse,” he said, warning of flooding and landslides. Japan is currently in typhoon season and is hit by about 20 such storms a year, with heavy rains that cause landslides or flash floods common.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the severity of storms, making extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and flash floods more frequent and intense. Typhoon Hinnamnor hit Japan earlier this month and dozens of flights were canceled. Some factories also stopped operations.
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