NAHA –
Typhoon No. 18, known as Soudelor, could directly affect Okinawa and the Amami Islands around August 26 after intensifying into a “very strong” storm, while dangerous heat and sudden thunderstorms are also threatening wide areas of Japan.
The typhoon was moving north near the Mariana Islands as of noon on August 21 at about 20 kilometers per hour. Its central pressure was 980 hectopascals, with maximum sustained winds of 30 meters per second and maximum gusts of 40 meters per second.
Winds of at least 25 meters per second were being analyzed around the storm, indicating that the typhoon was continuing to strengthen.
Typhoon No. 18 is forecast to develop into a “strong” typhoon by the night of August 21 and intensify further as it moves toward waters near the Ogasawara Islands.
By August 23, it is expected to become a “very strong” typhoon and then continue northwest while maintaining much of its strength through August 24 and August 25.
Forecasts increasingly indicate that the storm could reach waters near Okinawa’s main island and the Amami Islands around August 26 while still maintaining strong intensity.
Residents in Okinawa, Amami and other parts of the Nansei Islands are being urged to prepare in advance for the possibility of a powerful typhoon approaching the region.
Conditions are also expected to deteriorate around the Ogasawara Islands before the storm reaches southwestern Japan. Easterly winds are forecast to strengthen from August 22, with seas becoming increasingly rough.
Waves exceeding 5 meters could develop around the Ogasawara Islands by August 23, raising the risk of dangerous conditions at sea and along exposed coastlines.
The typhoon’s path after August 26 remains highly uncertain.
Forecast models from different countries show a wide range of possible tracks after the storm reaches the Okinawa area. Some simulations take the typhoon toward Taiwan, others toward the Asian continent, while other projections show it moving north toward the Korean Peninsula or Kyushu.
The uncertainty is linked partly to the position and strength of a high-pressure system in the upper atmosphere. The typhoon is expected to follow the edge of the high pressure through around August 26, but its subsequent movement could become more complicated as the pressure system influences the storm’s direction.
Forecasters are urging people to closely monitor updated information because even relatively small changes in the atmospheric pattern could substantially alter the typhoon’s eventual course.
Meanwhile, western Japan was experiencing intense heat on August 21, with the temperature in Kumamoto city already reaching 35.7 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature was forecast to reach 37 degrees in Kumamoto and Saga cities, creating potentially dangerous conditions above normal body temperature.
The extreme heat is expected to continue into next week, and authorities are urging strict precautions against heatstroke.
Atmospheric conditions were also forecast to become unstable from Tohoku through Kyushu during the afternoon, raising the possibility of sudden localized thunderstorms across a wide area.
People are being advised to remain alert for rapid changes in the weather as Japan faces the combined risks of extreme heat, thunderstorms and the approaching typhoon.
Source: ウェザーニュース
AloJapan.com