Typhoon Shanshan is coming closer to the island of Kyushu in western Japan. It may make landfall there. Residents are advised to be on alert for violent winds, high waves, storm surges and heavy rains.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says the typhoon was moving north-northwest at 15 kilometers per hour over waters 40 kilometers off Kagoshima Prefecture’s Makurazaki City as of 4 a.m. Thursday. The city observed winds of around 185 kilometers per hour shortly before 1 a.m.
Rain is intensifying not only in Kyushu, but also in the Shikoku and Tokai regions and elsewhere as warm, moist air flows in.
A radar analysis indicates precipitation of about 120 millimeters around Misato Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, in the hour through 2 a.m.
The agency says bands of heavy rain clouds have been generated in the northern part of Miyazaki, and heavy rain is falling in the same areas.
Bands of heavy rain clouds may also be generated in Kagoshima including the Amami region, northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Honshu, among other areas. The risk of disaster could sharply rise in those regions. The Meteorological Agency says it may issue emergency heavy rain warnings for Kagoshima and Miyazaki.
The risk of landslides is high in some areas in Miyazaki and Kagoshima as well as Kumamoto, Ehime and Shizuoka prefectures.
Some rivers in Miyazaki and Kagoshima are posing the risk of overflow.
During the 24 hours through late Thursday night, rainfall could reach 600 millimeters in southern Kyushu, 500 millimeters in northern Kyushu and 400 millimeters in Shikoku.
On Wednesday, the agency issued an emergency warning for storms and high waves for Kagoshima, excluding the Amami region, and an emergency storm surge warning for the Satsuma region in the prefecture.
The maximum sustained wind speed is forecast to reach 180 kilometers per hour in southern Kyushu and 144 kilometers per hour in the north on Thursday.
The maximum gust speed is forecast to hit around 252 kilometers per hour in southern Kyushu and 198 kilometers per hour in the north.