Heightened alert issued as heavy rain hits Japan’s Okinawa
Japan's weather agency on Sunday urged Okinawa residents to be on high alert for mudslides and other disasters as torrential rains are drenching the country's southernmost prefecture.
Over 380 flights were cancelled in Japan on Saturday ahead of Typhoon Trami’s arrival. It is expected to make landfall on Kyushu island on Sunday bringing heavy rains, strong winds, and high waves.
Trami, the 24th typhoon of the season in the Pacific and classified as “very strong”, was situated around 80 km southwest of Naha at 11.45 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Weather conditions forced Japanese airlines to cancel at least 386 flights to and from Naha Airport in Okinawa, public broadcaster NHK reported.
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Kansai International Airport in Osaka plans to temporarily close its two runways from early Sunday, several hours ahead of Trami’s landfall, to avoid a repeat of August when Typhoon Jebi flooded a runway and terminals, trapping thousands of passengers.
Trami is moving at a speed of 20 kmph in a northerly direction, carrying wind gusts of up to 216 kmph, Efe news reported.
The storm is expected to pass through Honshu island, where Tokyo is situated, between Sunday and Monday and leave the northern island of Hokkaido by Monday midday.
Japan has been hit by a number of typhoons in 2018, including Jebi — the most powerful storm to make landfall in 25 years — and Prapiroon, which caused torrential rains in July causing more than 220 deaths in western and southern Japan.
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