THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 11, 2019 at 15:10 JST
Packing a powerful destructive force, massive Typhoon No. 19 is expected to make landfall at the Tokai or Kanto region from late afternoon through the evening of Oct. 12, before advancing north to the Tohoku region.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, record winds and torrential rain could hit in wide areas in Honshu, mainly eastern Japan, on Oct. 12-13.
The JMA may issue a special heavy rain warning and is calling for early evacuation and ensuring safety before the rain and wind intensify.
According to the JMA, as of 9 a.m. on Oct. 11, the typhoon was moving toward eastern Japan from off Chichijima island in the Ogasawara chain in Tokyo at 25 kph. The typhoon has a central atmospheric pressure of 925 hectopascals.
It packs a maximum wind speed near the center of 180 kph, gusting to as much as 252 kph.
If the typhoon makes landfall with a maximum wind speed of 162 kph, it will break the record set in 1991.
As warm and wet air enter from the typhoon, heavy rain is expected to fall on the Pacific Ocean side of western Japan and parts of eastern Japan on the afternoon of Oct. 11.
On Oct. 11-12, affected by the typhoon’s developed rain cloud and other elements, heavy rain could hit a wider area from western Japan to the Tohoku region. It may bring record heavy rain in the Tokai and Kanto regions, equivalent to the Kanogawa Typhoon in 1958, which left 1,269 people dead or missing, chiefly on the Izu Peninsula.
The expected rainfall over 24 hours by noon on Oct. 13 is 600-800 millimeters in Tokai, 300-500 mm in Kanto, Koshin and Hokuriku, and 300-400 mm in the Izu island chain and Tohoku.
On Oct. 12, strong winds could blow in a wider area centering on eastern Japan, with possible gusts reaching more than 180 kph. That's nearly the same level as Typhoon No. 15 in September, which inflicted heavy damage on Chiba Prefecture.
In addition, with the approach of the typhoon, a front is moving north that could bring heavy rain because of possible stagnation around Hokuriku and Tohoku from the evening of Oct. 11 to 12. People are advised to be aware of high tides as it is the period of high tidal levels in western and eastern Japan.
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