Tokyo region hit by typhoon, hundreds of flights and trains cancelled

A typhoon “very strong” The storm hit the Tokyo area and the eastern Pacific coast on Friday, August 16, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced. The weather conditions led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and trains as well as power outages.

At midday on Friday in Japan, Typhoon Ampil had passed east of the island of Hachijojima, about 300 kilometers south of Tokyo, with winds of 160 km/h and gusts of up to 216 km/h. For its part, the US Army’s typhoon warning center predicted winds of 200 km/h with gusts of 250 km/h. The day after the lifting of a “megaseism” alert, in effect for a week, Japan is facing a powerful typhoon, even if the qualifier “very strong” is one notch below its highest category of “violent typhoon”.

Authorities have warned people of heavy rain and strong winds. The JMA warned that the central Chiba region, “should be on high alert due to risks of high waves, landslides and flooding.” More than 4,000 homes in prefectures surrounding Tokyo were without power Friday morning due to the typhoon, according to the utility operator.

Japanese carrier ANA canceled 281 domestic and 54 international flights scheduled for Friday, affecting more than 60,000 passengers, while Japan Airlines scrapped 281 domestic and 38 international flights, impacting 49,700 customers. ANA is already planning about 30 cancellations for Saturday. Major sections of Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains are also expected to be halted Friday, including the busy stretch between Tokyo and the metropolis of Nagoya.