Typhoon Chanthu is set to hit land on Friday, heavy rain predicted

The Japanese meteorological agency warned Thursday that a typhoon slated to hit land in the west of the country on Friday afternoon could bring heavy rain and cause landslides and floods.

Typhoon Chanthu, this year’s 14th typhoon, is expected to move from the East China Sea to Tsushima Straits on Friday before crossing from west to east Japan over the weekend, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The agency previously forecast the typhoon would turn into an extra-tropical cyclone before approaching the main southwestern island of Kyushu.

JR West said it would suspend most Shinkansen services between Hiroshima and Kyushu, as well as some bullet trains between Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka, on Friday.

Strong winds are now expected to hit western Japan on Friday, with torrential rains forecast for Thursday night through Friday. The typhoon is expected to become an extra-tropical cyclone, bringing high winds and heavy rain over parts of western and northern Japan on Saturday.

At around 6 p.m., the typhoon was about 330 kilometers west-southwest of Goto in Nagasaki Prefecture and moving at a speed of about 15 kilometers per hour in a north-northeast direction. It had an atmospheric pressure of 990 hectopascals at its center, with a maximum gust of 126 km / h, according to the agency.

In the 24 hours up to Friday 5 p.m., up to 200 mm of rain is forecast for northern Kyushu, up to 200 mm for Shikoku and up to 150 mm for southern Kyushu.