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More than five million people were told to evacuate from their homes as Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan on Thursday.
After hovering over the southerly Kyushu Island for the next few days, the storm is expected to approach Tokyo around the weekend. Strong winds and heavy rain knocked out power and forced major factories to close, and flights were also affected. Authorities warned Shanshan could be one of the strongest ever storms to hit the region, as they assessed the death toll and reported scores left injured.
It’s close to 23:30 local time in Japan (13:30 FMT), and we’re ending our live coverage shortly. Here’s what you need to know from today:
What Happened: Typhoon Shanshan, now downgraded to a “severe tropical storm,” is still causing havoc with rain and gusts hitting southern Japan.
Human Impact: Shanshan has triggered landslides and roof collapses, resulting in at least four deaths. At least 94 people are injured, and one person is still missing. A body was found in the sea, but it’s unclear if it’s the missing person. Hundreds of thousands of homes are without power.
Economic Impact: Trains suspended, highways closed, and over 700 flights cancelled. Companies like Toyota have halted production across Japan.
What Will Happen: Shanshan is moving slowly, which means more heavy rain is on the way. Some areas could see over 700mm of rain. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is warning both western and eastern Japan to brace for more landslides and flooding.
Typhoons are common in Japan, with the season peaking during August and September.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 25 cyclones of tropical storm strength or higher are recorded in the north-west Pacific in a typical year, of which an average of three will make landfall in Japan.
Some of these will be strong enough to be classified as typhoons – as was the case with Shanshan.
A typhoon is a deep area of low pressure that forms from an organised cluster of thunderstorms over warm tropical waters.
Fed by the warmth of the ocean, with sea surface temperatures above 27C (81F), these weather systems can strengthen rapidly to bring powerful winds, dangerous seas and flooding rain.
Typhoons are the same as hurricanes – the only difference is where they form. Hurricane is the term used for storms that form in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific, whereas typhoon is used in the north-west Pacific.
Travellers concerned about heavy rain affecting plans
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERSTourist Leila Wong is worried she’ll miss her flight back to the US
Travellers on the ground in Japan say rainfall is now a concern after severe tropical storm Shanshan caused major travel disruption.
Norimasa Sakanoshita, 47, who travelled from Tokyo to attend a meeting in Fukuoka, says: “This typhoon is scary. In terms of disaster, we are getting a large amount of rain so I don’t know what will happen going forward,” he tells Reuters news agency.
A tourist from New York, Leila Wong, who’s travelling across Japan with her family, says she was stranded in Fukuoka after trains to Tokyo were cancelled due to heavy rain and winds.
“I’m concerned because I obviously do not want to miss our flights back to New York on September 2nd,” she says.
“If the power failures continue to go on for the next couple of days, then… we’ll be stuck here a little bit longer.”
How is climate change affecting typhoons?published at 14:28 British Summer Time 29 August
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Typhoons – also called hurricanes or tropical cyclones in other parts of the world – are powerful storms that develop in warm tropical ocean waters.
The causes of these storms are complex, making it difficult to say exactly how much of a role climate change has played in the intensity of Typhoon Shanshan.
But rising temperatures can affect these storms in several ways.
Firstly, warmer ocean waters mean storms can pick up more energy, leading to higher wind speeds.
Secondly, a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall.
Thirdly, rising average sea-levels – mainly due to melting land ice and warmer ocean water taking up more space – means that there is a greater risk of coastal flooding from storm surges.
In future, while the number of typhoons may decrease overall across East and South East Asia, these storms are expected to generally become even more intense when they do occur, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
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