Former Typhoon Shanshan, now a major tropical storm, is slowly moving toward the southern half of Japan, bringing meter-high rainfall, causing landslides and tornadoes. The storm is far from over, however, as flooding will continue into early next week as the storm slowly moves across the island.
Shanshan was the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale late Thursday night after hitting Kyushu, Japan, as a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday afternoon.
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More than a quarter of a million customers on the island of Kyushu were without power Thursday night, Kyushu Electric Power said. A rain gauge on the Ebino Plateau, in the mountains of central Kyushu, recorded more than 32 inches (815 mm) of rain since Tuesday, while another station on Shinmon reported 31.3 inches (794.5 mm).
Nearly 4 million people were urged to evacuate before the storm struck. Typhoon Shanshan is the strongest storm of the season so far, and Wednesday marked only the fourth time the Japanese government has issued a “special typhoon warning,” The Guardian wrote.
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Images posted to X by the Hyuga City Fire Department on Thursday morning show a washed-out road near the city. (Hyuga City Fire Department via Storyful) |
NHK reported that four people were injured Wednesday when a suspected tornado hit the ground in Miyazaki, on the eastern coast of Kyushu. Video footage showed extensive damage to cars and buildings. In Kagoshima City, a man disappeared after falling into the ocean and has not been found.
Three people were killed on Tuesday when a landslide in the town of Gamagori, possibly caused by heavy rains north of Typhoon Shanshan, destroyed their home.
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Shanshan is expected to move on a slow northeast-east track through Friday. Unfortunately, the storm will slow down or stall for a while this weekend before finally being directed eastward early next week.
The slow movement of the storm will continue to produce heavy rainfall, causing significant life-threatening flooding, landslides, mudslides, and transportation delays. A widespread area of 1-2 feet of rain is likely, with localized amounts exceeding 3 feet.
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