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Japan has issued evacuation orders for nearly a million people in the path of Typhoon Shanshan, as the powerful storm brought torrential rains, strong winds and landslides in which one person has been killed.
Factories have been shuttered and hundreds of flights cancelled as the typhoon barrelled towards the main southwestern island of Kyushu with gusts of up to 70 metres per second (157 mph).
Emergency warnings have been issued across much of the country as authorities say the typhoon could bring flooding, landslides and wind strong enough to knock down some houses.
One person died after a house with five people inside was buried in a landslide in the central city of Gamagori.
“Maximum caution is required given that forecasts are for strong winds, high waves and high tides that have not been seen thus far,” Satoshi Sugimoto, the agency’s chief forecaster, told reporters.
After striking Kyushu over the next few days the storm is expected to approach central and eastern regions, including the capital Tokyo, around the weekend, the agency said – but the typhoon’s path is proving difficult to predict.
Key Points
- One person killed as landslide buries house with five people inside
- Nearly a million people ordered to evacuate their homes
- Typhoon Shanshan ‘could bring unprecedented 600mm of rain in just 24 hours'
- Mapped: Where have evacuation orders been issued?
- Hundreds of flights cancelled and factories shut as typhoon approaches
Storm chasers describe ‘complete whiteout’ reminiscent of ‘dementors in Harry Potter'
As the typhoon approached the southern coast of Kyushu, storm chaser James Reynolds described a “complete whiteout at times” in Makurazaki, as the eyewall of the typhoon brought fierce winds, sheets of rain and infrequent lightning, leaving its harbour a “churning cauldron”.
In further X posts on Thursday morning local time, Mr Reynolds described widespread power outages and blocked roads as he shared footage of trees uprooted and rivers gushing with rainwater.
Fellow storm chaser Jonathan Petramala, also shared footage of the swirling blankets of rain in Makurazaka, writing: “This vortex in the inner eye wall ... reminds me of the Dementors in HarryPotter”.
After returning to his hotel, Mr Petramala wrote: “The eye wall is still grinding over us ... The whole building is shaking.”
Andy Gregory29 August 2024 00:39 1724884899Typhoon Shanshan appears to make landfall in southern Kyushu
Typhoon Shanshan appeared to make landfall near Makurazaki on the southern island of Kyushu on Thursday morning local time.
Wind gusts reached speeds of 85mph while some parts of southern Kyushu had received over 380mm of rain by Thursday morning, despite the typoon having weakened from the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday to a Category 2 storm, the Washington Post reported.
Forecasting path of Typhoon Shanshan proving a rare challenge for meteorologists
Meteorologists are struggling to chart the expected path of Typhoon Shanshan, which has been moving particularly slowly and whose route is dependent on a number of other weather systems at play in the region.
James Reynolds, who chases and documents tropical storms, told the Japan Times that he first drove to Osaka earlier this week to prepare for a then-forecast landfall in the Shikoku region. But after two days, he travelled to Tokyo and flew instead to Kagoshima Prefecture on Wednesday morning.
“Shanshan has been one of the bigger outliers among all the storms I’ve tracked in terms of the continued changes in forecast and how the computer weather models are handling it,” Mr Reynolds told the outlet.
Andy Gregory28 August 2024 21:34 1724875161Thousands watch livestream of famous palm tree being battered by Typhoon Shanshan
Thousands of people are watching a livestream of a famous palm tree in Kagoshima, nicknamed “Yasshi”, as it is buffeted by Typhoon Shanshan.
“Yasshi is located next to a resort hotel and became famous for surviving major typhoons,” Dr Jeffrey J Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, said on X, adding: “Hang in there, Yasshi! You can survive this!”
While the livestream has currently lost its connection, thousands still appear to be watching it in the hopes of monitoring the palm tree’s fate.
The hotel previously made a towel commemorating Yasshi’s survival over typhoons in the past two years, according to Dr Hall.
Andy Gregory28 August 2024 20:59 1724873421Power cuts experienced in Kyushu
More than 76,000 buildings were without power in Kyushu, the Japan Times reported earlier, citing Kyushu Electric.
Around 66,000 of those outages were reported in the Kagoshima Prefecture, while some 9,000 were in Miyazaki Prefecture.
Andy Gregory28 August 2024 20:30 1724871681Japan urges people to heed evacuation warnings
Japan’s Meteorological Agency has warned that the risk of disaster could increase suddenly as the storm progresses.
Officials urged residents, especially older adults, to take shelter immediately if they feel unsafe.
“To protect your life and the lives of your loved ones, please flee to evacuation areas specified by local authorities and secure your safety,” said Satoshi Sugimoto, an official at the weather agency, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Stuti Mishra28 August 2024 20:01 1724869941Bullet trains and postal services suspended in Kyushu
Japan Railway companies said most bullet trains and local train services were operating normally on Wednesday, but many on the island of Kyushu would be suspended on Thursday.
Similar steps may be taken on the main island of Honshu throughout Sunday.
Postal and delivery services have been also suspended in the Kyushu region, and supermarkets and other stores announced plans to close early.
Andy Gregory28 August 2024 19:32 1724868187Aerial view shows impact of landslide hundreds of miles east of Kyushu
An aerial view shows the search and rescue operation at a landslide site caused by a heavy rain due to the approach of Typhoon Shanshan in Gamagori, in Japan’s central Aichi Prefecture, hundreds of miles northeast of where the storm’s heaviest winds are currently battering Kyushu.
Japan cancels annual earthquake drills as it braces for Typhoon Shanshan
The Japanese government has cancelled its annual earthquake drills planned for Sunday to free up disaster response resources to deal with Typhoon Shanshan, the Associated Press reports.
Andy Gregory28 August 2024 18:46 1724866087One person killed as landslide buries house with five people inside
The warm, humid air around the typhoon and a separate high-pressure system has caused heavy rain in the central Japanese city of Gamagori, where a landslide buried a house with five people inside.
Four of them were rescued but one person later died, while workers were searching for the fifth person, according to the city’s disaster management department.
On the southern island of Amami, where the typhoon passed, one person was knocked down by a wind gust while riding a motorcycle, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
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