By Reuters
Tokyo: Typhoon Nanmadol bore down on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu on Sunday with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning of gales and high waves “like never experienced before”.
The 14th typhoon of the season, classified as a super typhoon by the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, could bring record rainfall, the weather agency said, warning of the risk of rivers overflowing and landslides.
Agency officials urged residents to evacuate, saying the typhoon could bring stronger winds and heavier rain than most people have experienced. Typhoon Nanmadol’s wind speed has been clocked at up to 70 metres per second, it reported.
Southern Kyushu could receive 500mm of rain and wind gusts of up to 250km/h on Sunday, while the central Tokai region could see 300mm of rain, the agency forecast.
Railway operators have cancelled trains in the region with convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan temporarily shutting about 950 stores.
The storm is forecast to curve east and pass over Japan’s main island of Honshu early next week before moving out to sea by Wednesday.
ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines cancelled several flights to and from Okinawa and Kyushu, according to the companies’ websites.
with Bloomberg
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