04 Sep 2018 | 03:22 AM UTC
Japan: Flights canceled, evacuations ordered as Jebi arrives in Japan Sep. 4 /update 4
Typhoon Jebi starts affecting Japan on September 4, forcing hundreds of flight and train cancelations and evacuation advisories for 280,000 people; heaving rain, damaging wind, flooding expected
Event
Typhoon Jebi has begun to affect the Japanese mainland as of 11:00 (local time) on Tuesday, September 4, with the eye expected to make landfall later in the day. Around 280,000 people in Shikoku and southern Honshu received evacuation advisories. Japanese authorities canceled 600 flights as of 09:45 on Tuesday, mostly arriving and departing Osaka's Kansai International Airport (KIX) and Nagoya's Chibu Centrair International Airport (NGO). Train and ferry services have also been suspended, with the West Japan Railway Company halting trains to Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. Residual delays following the typhoon are expected as crews assess and repair potential damage to tracks.
As of 11:00, Jebi is located 122 km (76 mi) south of Kochi and moving north-northeastward at 39 km/h (24 mph). The typhoon is producing sustained winds of 139 km/h (86 mph) and gusts of up to 167 km/h (104 mph) and is forecast to bring up to 50 cm (20 in) Tuesday through Wednesday. Jebi is the strongest storm to hit Japan this year and expected to bring heavy rains, damaging winds, and high storm surge. Power and telecommunication outages, mudslides, flooding, wind damage, and transportation disruptions are likely. The storm's eye will likely pass over eastern Shikoku before hitting near Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto.
Context
This is the 21st typhoon of the year and the fourth storm to affect Japan since mid-August. Tropical cyclones and typhoons are common in the west Pacific from June through November.
Advice
Individuals present in the abovementioned regions are advised to monitor local weather reports, anticipate transportation and power disruptions, obey instructions issued by the local authorities, and avoid flood-prone areas until the situation stabilizes. Remember that driving or walking through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of running water is enough to knock over an adult - and that floodwater may contain wastewater or chemical products; all items having come into contact with the water should be disinfected and all foodstuffs discarded.
