Japan:Severe tropical storm lingering near Okinawa

Laaska News  Sept. 19,2011

 

Severe tropical storm Roke is still lingering over waters west of Okinawa.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency says that at 6 AM on Monday, the storm was virtually stationary over waters 110 kilometers west-northwest of Minami Daito Island, Okinawa Prefecture.

The central atmospheric pressure is 975 hectopascals. The storm is packing winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour at its center.

Roke is expected to continue to move northward slowly over waters east of the Amami and Okinawa islands on Monday. It may approach Japan’s main island of Honshu on Tuesday or later.

The Agency warns strong winds and rough seas will continue in Okinawa on Tuesday, and that the storm will bring torrential rain to wide areas in western Japan.

Rain is also expected to intensify in the Kii Peninsula, western Japan, on Monday evening, where previous rainfalls had caused landslides and other damage.

The forecast for Tuesday morning calls for up to 200 millimeters of rain in southern Kyushu, 150 millimeters in northern Kyushu and some parts of western Japan, and 120 millimeters in Okinawa, Amami islands and Kinki region.

The Agency is advising people in Okinawa and Amami to be on the alert for strong winds and high waves. It also warns people in western Japan to beware of possible mudslides and swollen rivers.

Meanwhile, typhoon Sonca is moving north over waters east of Hachijo Island, south of Tokyo.

NHK.
Laaska News.
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