Thrilling typhoon makes landfall in Japan

The eighth Typhoon of the season was expected to make landfall on August 13, causing disruptions to rail and air services, and prompting a warning by the Japan Meteorological Agency to be cautious about the flooding, landslides and strong winds, as linear rainbands were also forecast.

The approaching Typhoon resulted in local train services in Chiba Prefecture being suspended in the afternoon, according to officials from East Japan Railway Co.

On August 13, both Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways canceled flights that were scheduled to depart and arrive at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

8 passed south of Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecure, around 3 p.m. on Aug. 13 and was moving in a northerly direction, JMA officials said. As of noon, it had a central pressure of 1,000 hectopascals, maximum sustained winds of 72 kph near the center and maximum instantaneous gusts of 108 kph.

It was expected to move northeast in the northeast direction off the Tokai coast and be expected to come close to land in either the Kanto-Koshin or Tokai regions.

Until August 14 there was a chance of tornadoes on the Pacific coast of eastern Japan.

The approaching typhoon brought heavy rain to the region from the morning of Aug. 13, with Aoi Ward of Shizuoka city recording 34.5 millimeters of rain in one hour and Omaezaki registering 33.5 mm.

For the 24 hour period until 6 a.m. on Aug. 14, as much as 300 mm of rain was forecast for Tokai, 250 mm for Kanto-Koshin and 120 mm for the Tohoku region and Izu chain of islands.

Rainfall can become heavier if linear rainbands form.

The typhoon was expected to whip up waves on the Pacific side of eastern Japan.

Meteorologists are projected to have high instantaneous wind speeds of 108 kph in the Tohoku, Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions as well as the Izu islands.

Waves as high as 6 meters were forecast for the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions and Izu islands on Aug. 13 and 3 meters for the Tohoku region.