The Japan Meteorological Agency on Tuesday warned of Typhoon Hinnamnor approaching several remote islands in the south of the country, calling on residents to take shelter before the situation becomes too dangerous.
As of Tuesday evening, the typhoon, described as “very strong”, was in Pacific waters south of Japan, 340 kilometers east-northeast of the island of Minami Daito, one of the isolated islands which form the Okinawa archipelago, according to the agency.
With gusts reaching 252 km / h, it is moving west at a speed of 30 km / h, and should pose a threat to these islands from Wednesday evening to Friday.
Some of these islands are isolated and home to only a few hundred people, but the region as a whole is home to around 1.4 million people while the island of Okinawa is home to most of Japan’s US military bases.
The meteorological agency expects the storm to strengthen to reach the “severe” category from Wednesday evening, with gusts of up to 270 km / h. The agency’s Okinawa branch said Wednesday’s intense winds could cause some homes to collapse.
Heavy rain and high waves will also hit the area.
“Please exercise extreme caution in strong winds. Take precautionary measures like moving to sturdy buildings before high winds start,” the agency called.
Japan is currently in the middle of typhoon season. It is hit by about twenty storms of this type per year.
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