Japan cancelled hundreds of flights and advised more than 60,000 households to evacuate some southern regions on Tuesday, as Typhoon Khanun, packing heavy rain and strong winds, slowly heads westwards days after raging through Okinawa.
The typhoon, which is projected to reach South Korea's southern coast on Thursday, is lingering in the Pacific Ocean, about 200 km (124 miles) south of Japan's third-largest island Kyushu, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Thunderstorms, with precipitation of up to 400 mm (16 inches), were expected to lash areas of Kyushu and neighbouring Shikoku island in the next 24 hours, JMA said. Areas as far north as Osaka and Nagoya are also likely to be affected.
"Due to the slow movement of the typhoon and its prolonged impact, total rainfall may greatly exceed the normal monthly rainfall for August," the JMA added. Khanun is moving at less than 10 km per hour (6 mph).
Trains, flights and ferries were cancelled for the next couple of days.
The city of Nagasaki also relocated a venue to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Wednesday to an indoor convention centre from a park.
In Kyushu's Kagoshima prefecture, about 950 km (590 miles) southwest of Tokyo, 60,000 households were advised to evacuate, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. In the western part of the country's largest Honshu island, Mazda Motor said it would suspend production at its two plants in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi.
Khanun rolled into Japan's southernmost Okinawa last week, causing blackouts in more than 200,000 buildings. The storm has since gradually lost its strength but still packs winds of up to 144 kph (40 mph).
Airlines, including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, cancelled 222 flights on Tuesday, bringing the total number of flights disrupted by Khanun since last week to 2,715, according to a transportation ministry tally.
South Korea on Tuesday started evacuating thousands of participants at the World Scout Jamboree ahead of Khanun's approach.
Another typhoon has also emerged in the Pacific, the JMA said. Typhoon Lan, with winds of up to 180 kph is expected to reach central Japan on Sunday.
© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023.
26 Comments
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Yubaru
Tropical Storm.... If you are going to use English, let's get it right! It was down graded over 24 hours ago!
kurisupisu
A friend of mine is flying out from KIX to SE Asia tomorrow morning and the flight hasn’t been cancelled as of 17.30 today
Hello Kitty 321
Typhoon Khanun? Is that Typhoon no.6? How about writing stories that can be understood by people living in Japan where the do not use names but numbers to identify typhoons?
David Brent
Khanun isn’t even a typhoon any more!
Roy Sophveason
That can only mean one thing.
N. Knight
It's still a tropical rotating storm or tropical cyclone, which are the proper terms for this kind of system.
How you name it or set the parameters for what you call it doesn't matter.
The wind might be downgraded but the precipitation risks still remain very real.
falseflagsteve
Stay safe everyone who mate be affected and don’t take it risks. Always put safety first, you see.
2 Year Old
Attention all old or elderly men, listen to your wives, do not go up on the roof during a storm… I repeat do NOT go up on the roof. It won’t end well.
This has been a public service announcement.
Speed
Tropical storm, not really a typhoon/hurricane anymore. The intensity is much different.
The more the media keeps calling it a general typhoon, the more people tune in to the news. $
falseflagsteve
Speed
Well they do tend to exaggerate greatly don’t they, gives them more stuff to go on about I suppose, lol
gaijintraveller
144 kph is a lot fast than 40 mph. It is almost 90.
memoryfix
You beat me to it!
Right, 144 mph equals 90 miles per hour, not 40. Stupid mistake, reporter! Learn to be more careful with important details.
Eastmann
stop panic here.
Yubaru
No one said it wasnt. Point is typhoon strength winds vs tropical storm or soon to be sub-tropical strength, matter a lot when it comes to potential damage.
We really got luck here in Okinawa, as the eye, and the strongest winds didnt affect the island, but there were still gusts recorded at over 56 m/s. If THAT kind of wind hit mainland, you are asking for a disaster!
memoryfix
This typhoon is being replaced soon by a stronger typhoon. Typhoon Lan. This one is going right towards central Japan. Watch for the media to get on this very, very soon.
falseflagsteve
Memory
Good point, just saw about that one. I’m in Osaka and we are currently predicted to be slap bang in the middle you see. We had family plans for next weekend, I think they may have to be put on hold now, what a shame.
memoryfix
falseflagsteve
Maybe, but maybe closer to Kanto. Don’t give up yet.
Mark
Slow moving storms are deadly.
kaimycahl
@memoryfix Dead Wrong how can 144 mph equal 90 miles per hour. What kind of math are you using. I trickonometry? Or were you implying 144 kph equals 90 miles per hour and if that is the case you are still wrong. If you want to be exact 144 kilometers per hour is approximately 89.48 miles per hour without rounding out the numbers. If there was a race you both lost!! The threshold for a tropical cyclone which is also called a typhoon is when the wind speed reaches or exceeds 119 kilometers per hour that is (74 miles per hour).
You beat me to it!
Right, 144 mph equals 90 miles per hour, not 40. Stupid mistake, reporter! Learn to be more careful with important details.
602miko
Stay safe and listen to the announcement
nosuke
Well Tokyo always gets lucky and never hits bad by a tiny hurricane
albaleo
I agree. My experience of typhoons in Japan is that rainfall is a bigger danger than wind speeds.
falseflagsteve
Memory
Yes, let’s see eh. The last one changed direction to Korea, maybe this on will change too
Albaleo
The rain can be beastly, I used to live near a river in Hyogo, it almost flooded once during a typhoon and there was an evacuation, I didn’t go because I had cats and dogs at the time and I needed to calm them from the noise of the typhoon. Luckily I live in central Osaka on 4th floor so can just sit it out if need be, you see.
kurisupisu
In Kansai, this morning no real wind to speak of and clouds in the sky but bright.
I’m up and out in 5 minutes
Looking at the forecast Kyushu has rain but Honshu is not so troubled by anything more than intermittent rain
theResident
@nosuke: Unusual - but not 'never'. 3 bad ones in Tokyo in my memory. Sep 93, Sep 96, and Oct 19. Not disasters by any stretch of the imagination but shut downs of public transportation and shops and plenty of debris in the streets.