'Unprecedented' storm approaches, Japan issues special typhoon warning

International

17-09-2022, 21:28

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INA - SOURCES

Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special typhoon warning on Saturday, for Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands, as the region braces for a powerful and potentially destructive super typhoon.

The warning came after the weather agency earlier in the day urged residents to evacuate parts of the Kyushu, ahead of the typhoon Nanmadol, expected to bring up to half a metre (20 inches) of rain when it makes landfall on Sunday.

"Unprecedented" storms and rainfall could strike the area, JMA official Ryuta Kurora said at a televised news conference, urging residents there to evacuate before it gets dark.

Southern Kyushu could receive 500 mm (20 inches) of rain on Sunday, while the central Tokai region could see 300 mm (12 inches) the agency forecast.

The special typhoon warning would be the first such alert for any prefecture north of the Okinawa island chain, domestic media reported.