Photo/Illutration The predicted path of Typhoon No. 11 as of 9 a.m. on Sept. 5 (Captured from the Japan Meteorological Agency website)

The Japan Meteorological Agency called for heightened vigilance against heavy downpours in northern Kyushu between the evening of Sept. 5 and the following morning as powerful Typhoon No. 11 swirls toward the main island of Kyushu.

The agency said a linear rainband could form there during that period, sharply raising the likelihood of a disaster caused by flooding.

The agency also warned that residents in western Japan should remain on the alert as the typhoon is expected to bring strong winds and storm surges and could cause mudslides.

Kyushu Railway Co. announced on Sept. 4 that it will suspend operations of super express trains and other trains in stages from the evening of Sept. 5 to minimize the impact of the storm.

Flights connecting southern Kyushu and Okinawa Prefecture were canceled for Sept. 5. Japan Airlines Co. canceled 65 fights of 11 a.m. that day.

The education boards in Fukuoka and Kita-Kyushu, also in Fukuoka Prefecture, announced Sept. 5 that all public schools in the two cities will be closed on Sept. 6 for the safety of children.

The typhoon, the 11th of the season, was moving northward in the East China Sea at 20 kph as of 9 a.m. on Sept. 5.

The massive storm had a central pressure of 950 hectopascals, with maximum sustained winds of 144 kph near its center and maximum instantaneous gusts of 216 kph.

Seas around the Nansei islands to the south of Kyushu as well as northern Kyushu have become stormy.

The rainfall forecast for the 24-hour period until noon of Sept. 6 was 300 millimeters for southern Kyushu and the island of Shikoku; 250 mm for northern Kyushu; 150 mm for the Tokai region; and 120 mm for Amami-Oshima island, and the Chugoku and Kinki regions.

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