Typhoon kills at least 2 after delivering historic blow to Japan
Japan endured one of its most significant strikes from a tropical system in recorded history over the weekend as former Super Typhoon Nanmadol unleashed a fury of rain and wind up the island chain, killing at least two people, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of residents and prompting evacuation orders for nine million people.
Nanmadol made its initial landfall in southern Kyushu, the southernmost island of mainland Japan, on Sunday, local time, with the equivalent strength of a Category 3 major hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 111-129 mph or 178-208 km/h) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. At the time of landfall, the then-typhoon had a preliminary central pressure of 27.61 inches of mercury (935 millibars). This pressure reading launched Nanmadol into the history books as the fourth strongest storm to make landfall in Japan since record-keeping began in 1951.
At its peak strength late last week, Nanmadol was classified as a super typhoon with comparable intensity to a Category 4 hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 96-110 mph or 154-177 km/h) in the Atlantic or East Pacific basins.
The storm produced extensive flooding across the region as more than 16 inches (405 mm) of rain deluged portions of Kyushu and the neighboring regions of Chugoku and Shikoku. Since Saturday, Sept. 17, the town of Misato in the Miyazaki Prefecture has received more than 35 inches (900 mm), according to NHK.
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This satellite image captured on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, shows powerful Super Typhoon Nanmadol churning toward Japan. (MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC) |
AccuWeather had warned of life-threatening impacts due to significant flooding in these areas ahead of the storm.
Among the fatalities include a man who was found trapped in a vehicle with floodwaters up to its roof. The second death occurred after a man got swept up in a landslide. Nearly 90 people have been injured in the storm's onslaught, according to NHK.
Power outages were extensive across the country, especially in southern regions which were struck by the most violent winds from Nanmadol. In the Ehime Prefecture of Shikoku Island, a wind gust of 90 mph (145 km/h) was reported.
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An aerial view shows submerged houses at a flooded area caused by heavy rains due to Typhoon Nanmadol in Kunitomi, Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, September 19, 2022, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo via REUTERS) |
The high winds tore down power lines, leading to nearly 350,000 households without power during the height of the storm. Crews began to restore electricity as early as Monday afternoon, local time, with power outages down to 286,000 households, according to Reuters. Roofs were also torn off of structures and billboards toppled over as the ferocious winds ripped through.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was scheduled to travel to New York on Monday for this week's United Nations General Assembly, opted to stay in Japan "to take stock of the damage caused by the typhoon and to take all possible measures for recovery," Reuters reported. Kishida now plans to begin his travels on Tuesday morning if weather conditions improve.
All modes of transportation were impacted by the storm, with hundreds of flight cancellations reported and train operations halted. Schools have been largely unaffected by the storm, as Monday was an observed holiday in Japan.
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Rescue workers, including Japanese Self-Defence Force soldiers, conduct a search and rescue operation at a landslide site caused by Typhoon Nanmadol in Mimata town, Miyazaki Prefecture on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, September 19, 2022, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo via REUTERS) |
Nanmadol has since lost wind intensity and transitioned to a tropical rainstorm.
Nanmadol is the third blow from a tropical cyclone in less than a month for Japan. In late August into early September, Super Typhoon Hinnamnor slammed Okinawa before bringing severe impacts to South Korea. More recently, Typhoon Muifa made landfall over Japan's Ishigaki Island on Monday, Sept. 12, before it targeted China and pounded Shanghai.
AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping a close watch on the West Pacific basin in the wake of Nanmadol.
"We're monitoring a broad area of unsettled for tropical development south of Japan later this week," AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls said.
Regardless of whether this area of disturbed weather organizes into a tropical depression or storm, it is likely to produce another swath of heavy rainfall across portions of Japan, especially central Honshu, by Friday, local time, which can lead to areas of flooding and disrupted cleanup operations.
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