Typhoon Hinnamnor Passes Near Japan's Ogasawara Islands
Typhoon Hinnamnor is passing near Japan's Ogasawara Islands on Monday evening. Weather officials are warning of strong winds, heavy rain and the possibility of mudslides in the remote island group.
They forecast that the typhoon will develop further as it moves toward the islands of Okinawa Prefecture, where it may bring violent winds as early as Wednesday.
The Meteorological Agency says that Hinnamnor was over waters 30 kilometers north of Chichjima Island in the Ogasawara chain as of 6 p.m. on Monday. It is believed to be traveling west at 30 kilometers per hour.
Through the predawn hours of Tuesday, the typhoon will bring the islands winds of up to 126 kilometers per hour, and gusts of up to 180 kilometers per hour. Extremely rough seas are expected.
The islands could experience heavy rains with lightning, and some areas could see as much as 150 millimeters of rain within the 24 hours through Tuesday evening.
The agency is calling on residents to be on high alert for strong winds, high waves, mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers.
Weather officials say Hinnamnor will approach Okinawa between Wednesday and Saturday, becoming very powerful as it moves toward the southwestern Japanese prefecture.
On Wednesday, Okinawa's Daitojima islands are set to be hit by winds with maximum speeds of between 108 and 144 kilometers per hour. Extremely rough seas are expected.
Weather officials are warning residents to take precautions, saying that winds could be violent enough to knock over some houses.
Meanwhile, they say a front is expected to linger over northern Japan, bringing in moist air from the south that may result in the region seeing heavy rain accompanied by lightning from Wednesday onward.