Powerful Typhoon Feared to Cause High Waves, Landslides in West Japan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A powerful typhoon continued to travel northeast across the East China Sea on Sunday, with Japan's weather agency warning of strong winds, high waves and landslides triggered by heavy rains through Monday in western parts of the country.
Typhoon Tapah is expected to pass near the Tsushima Strait at night and then move on to the Sea of Japan before approaching Hokkaido and other northern prefectures during Tuesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The season's 17th typhoon has been affecting public transportation over the three-day weekend in Japan. Airlines have canceled many of Sunday's flights to and from the southwestern main island of Kyushu, while Kyushu Railway Co. has suspended some services.
In Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, there were reports of injuries caused by broken glass and by a car overturning due to strong winds, police and other sources said. Some 5,000 households in the city were without electricity before noon, Kyodo News reported
As of 11 a.m., the typhoon was traveling north-northeast in the East China Sea some 190 kilometers off the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture at a speed of 30 km per hour, the agency said. It had an atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals at its center and was packing winds of up to 162 kph.
Up to 400 millimeters of rain is expected in the western main island of Shikoku and up to 300 mm in Kyushu in the 24-hour period through 6 a.m. Monday, the agency said.
