Typhoon Lupit weakens to extratropical cyclone after pummelling western Japan
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People sort items after heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Lupit flooded the shops in Nanyu town of Fuzhou, Fujian province on Aug 7, 2021.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TOKYO (XINHUA) - Typhoon Lupit has weakened to an extratropical cyclone after pummelling western Japan with strong winds and heavy rain early on Monday morning (Aug 9).
The typhoon lost strength as it traversed western Japan following its landfall in the south-western Kyushu region on Sunday night, the weather agency said, according to Kyodo News.
A man has gone missing in Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, after he fell into the Takatsu River. The 46-year-old was trying to bring a capsized boat closer to the bank when he fell in at around 6.50am, the police said.
Strong winds damaged telephone poles as far away as Tokyo. Famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's iconic pumpkin structure on the island of Naoshima, in Kagawa prefecture, was swept away by strong winds and high tides. It was later recovered, but had sustained heavy damage after striking a pier several times.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Typhoon Lupit, the ninth typhoon of the year, was expected to reach the Sea of Japan after making landfall near Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture shortly past 5am local time on Monday, while bringing downpours and strong winds in western, eastern and northern Japan through Tuesday.
People were advised to be vigilant against possible mudslides and floods. Mudslide alerts were issued in some parts of Hiroshima, Shimane, Ehime and Oita prefectures, and some rivers in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures were above their flood warning levels.
Some transportation services were suspended. The Sanyo Shinkansen line was temporarily stopped between Shin-Onomichi and Higashihiroshima stations, West Japan Railway Co said.
It is expected that in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, the rainfall will reach up to 300mm in Tokai region, in central Japan, and between 100mm and 180mm in wide areas including the Kanto and Kinki regions.
As of 6am local time, the typhoon was moving north-east at around 45km per hour about 70km south-west of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture.
The atmospheric pressure of Typhoon Lupit was 985 hectopascals at its centre, and the wind speed was as high as 126kmh.