TOKYO – Typhoon Jangmi approached the Pacific side of western and central Japan early Wednesday after passing near the southern part of Kyushu, the main island in the country’s southwest, hours earlier, the weather agency said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued level 4 flood danger warnings, the second highest, for rivers in Tokushima Prefecture on the western main island of Shikoku, as well as in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture on Kyushu, urging all residents in dangerous areas to evacuate.
Kochi, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures observed torrential rainfall, with Shimanto, Kochi Prefecture, and the city of Miyazaki recording over 400 millimeters and over 300 mm of precipitation in a 24-hour period, respectively.
The agency also warned people in a wide swath of regions covering the southwestern, western and central parts of the country about the risk of landslides and flooding in low-lying areas due to potential linear rainbands.
The agency warned early Wednesday of extremely heavy rainfall in the southern part of Tokushima as the typhoon approached.
As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, the season’s sixth typhoon was located around 30 kilometers southeast of Cape Muroto in neighboring Kochi Prefecture and moving northeast at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour, packing winds of up to 126 kph, according to the agency.
As the typhoon passed the southern island prefecture of Okinawa on Monday, at least 16 people sustained injuries there, including a man who was electrocuted and knocked unconscious while working to restore a power line, according to local authorities.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have canceled more than 580 domestic and international flights slated for Wednesday, a move expected to affect around 80,000 people, according to the airlines.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said roughly 48,000 households in Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures were affected by power outages earlier Tuesday.
AloJapan.com