Typhoon Roke Forcing Mass Evacuations in Japan![590x331_09201619_rokesat2.jpg]()
Dangerous Typhoon Roke, now the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, is set to be the strongest typhoon to hit Japan so far this year.
Though the typhoon is expected to weaken some before roaring onshore over south-central Honshu Wednesday, it will unleash life-threatening flooding rain and mudslides. Near the point of landfall, wind damage could be severe.
Tokyo and areas that were devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami earlier this year will be affected.
Between 6 and 10 inches (150 to 250 mm) of rain is predicted to inundate places from Fukushima on north through northeastern Honshu, perhaps including Sendai, according to AccuWeather.com Expert International Forecaster Jim Andrews.
Officials have already advised or ordered nearly 1.2 million people in central and western Japan to evacuate, reported NHK World. The majority of those evacuation orders and advisories have been for the city of Nagoya, which has already picked up roughly 9 inches (230 mm) of rain ahead of the typhoon.
As of Tuesday evening local time (late Tuesday morning EDT), Roke was located off the southern coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, several hundred miles southwest of Tokyo. Maximum winds were at 130 mph (210 kph), making the typhoon the equivalent of an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.
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Roke may weaken Tuesday night into early Wednesday before plowing into the south-central portion of Honshu Wednesday afternoon local time (early Wednesday morning EDT). The eye of the storm is expected to pass between Tokyo and Nagoya.
AccuWeather.com Tropical Expert Dan Kottlowski expects the storm to make landfall as the equivalent of a strong Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane.
Wind gusts at landfall will range between 100 and 120 mph (160 and 190 kph) along the coast between Nagoya and Tokyo, according to Andrews. Typhoon-force gusts of 70 to 90 mph (110 to 145 kph) are possible in Tokyo by Wednesday afternoon.
Flight cancellations are a given for Tokyo's bustling international airports, if they are not shut down entirely.
"Winds will cause at least moderate damage along and near the direct path of Roke," stated Andrews. If Roke maintains its current track, Tokyo will fall in the northeastern quadrant of the storm, where winds are typically the strongest and rain is commonly the heaviest.
Once inland, Roke will weaken substantially. However, the threat for life-threatening flooding rain and mudslides will continue as it cuts across the middle of Japan, nearing the northeastern part of Honshu, which was devastated by earthquake and tsunami in March.
"Workers trying to control leakage into the basements of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant may need to be evacuated ahead of the storm, with more than 6 inches of rain expected to fall over the reeling prefecture," warned AccuWeather.com meteorologist Bill Deger.
As of Tuesday evening local time (late Tuesday morning EDT), more than 16 inches (400 mm) of rain has fallen in the southern province of Miyazaki, which lies west of the storm's center. Nearly 13 inches (330 mm) has inundated Tokushima on the island of Shikoku.
With similar rainfall totals projected for Nagoya, there is a major concern for mudslides and flooding along a main river in that area.
Bron: Accuweather