The large and extremely powerful typhoon Nanmadol, which made landfall in Japan’s Kyushu region on September 18, was about to hit the Kinki region in western Japan on the night of September 19, warned the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The typhoon, on the 14th of the year, is expected to bring unprecedented levels of rainfall as it moves northeast near the archipelago’s main island through September 20.
On September 18, the JMA issued a special heavy rain alert for Miyazaki Prefecture, where training storms hit the region with more than 600 millimeters of rain in 24 hours. The agency called on people to beware of high winds, tidal waves and heavy rain at an unprecedented level.
It is possible that linear rain bands will also form in Kyushu, Shikoku, Chugoku and Kinki regions on September 19, which could cause damage in large areas from west to north of Japan.
At 4 a.m. on September 19, Typhoon Nanmadol was near Tosu City in Saga Prefecture and was moving northward at a speed of about 20 kilometers per hour. It had a central atmospheric pressure of 960 hectopascals, with a maximum sustained wind speed near its center of 126 km/h, with maximum gusts of 180 km/h.
Over the 24 hours until 6 a.m. on September 20, up to 400mm of rain is expected in Shikoku region and Tokai region in central Japan, 300mm in Kinki and Kanto-Koshin regions including Tokyo, 250 mm in the Chugoku region, and 200 mm in northern Kyushu.
The typhoon affected rail services and flights. West Japan Railway Co. announced that it will partially suspend services for local trains and bullet train services on the Sanyo Shinkansen line between Hiroshima and Hakata stations on September 19. It reduced the number of trains between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima stations from the morning of September 19, and will suspend services from around 2 p.m. Limited express trains departing from and arriving in Japan’s western regions of Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe were to be suspended from the morning of September 19, while some train services were suspended from the morning of Hiroshima and Okayama. Central Japan Railway Co. announced that it will suspend bullet train services on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka stations from the afternoon of September 19, as it plans drastically reduce the number of high-speed trains running between Tokyo and Nagoya.
Japan Airlines Co. said it canceled 304 domestic flights scheduled to depart or arrive in Kyushu and other areas on September 18, affecting up to around 20,000 people. It is estimated that around 46,000 people will be affected by the cancellation of 454 additional flights on September 19. Meanwhile, All Nippon Airways Co. canceled 225 domestic flights on September 18, affecting up to around 16,000 passengers. A total of 316 flights will be canceled on September 19, which is expected to disrupt the plans of around 31,000 people.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220919/p2a/00m/0na/003000c
Category: Japan
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