Typhoon HAGIBIS remains on track to hit Japan. Although HAGIBIS has started to weaken today 11 October, the typhoon’s powerful winds are expected to cause widespread damage, high waves and storm surges along the coastal areas.
HAGIBIS is expected to make its landfall on Saturday 12 October near Tokyo, an area still recovering from the damages of Typhoon FAXAI a month ago. Typhoon FAXAI caused three casualties, injured dozens and left 930,000 people without power when it hit eastern Japan in September.
Hagibis rapidly intensified into a Super Typhoon on October 7 when the storm’s winds increased by 85kt (100mph/160kph) in 24 hours and is claimed to be the fastest rate of intensification ever observed on Earth.
JMA’s forecast chief, Yasushi Kajihara, said Hagibis resembled a typhoon that hit Tokyo in 1958 that flooded hundreds of thousands of homes and left 1,200 people dead.
Typhoon Hagibis (Himawari 8 IR October 11, 2019 0000UTC )
(Source: CIMSS)