Tokyo: Japan on Wednesday warned of the expected arrival of Super Typhoon Hagibis in the archipelago over the next few days, which will lead to very strong winds, torrential rain and rough seas.
The storm, which was tracking near the Ogasawara islands as of Wednesday afternoon is forecast to continue moving toward Honshu, weakening only slightly before a possible landfall on Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
The exact path remains unclear, and turns to the west toward central Japan or the east toward the sea are among the possibilities, the Met said.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the typhoon was moving to the northwest of the Mariana Islands and, according to its current trajectory and speed, is expected to reach the south of the Japanese archipelago on Saturday, the Efe news reported.
Meteorologist Robert Speta, an expert on typhoons who now works for the U.S. Navy in Florida, said, "The storm went from a tropical storm to a violent typhoon in the matter of hours. In fact it was an historic amount of intensification in such a short time," he said.
The waves were expected to increase significantly in height throughout the Pacific coast of the country from Friday, and that from Saturday there will be torrential rains in the south, west and center, including the Greater Tokyo Area, as the typhoon advances north.
