At the world-famous crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo, where thousands normally jostle every few minutes as the lights change, just a few hardy souls braved the horizontal rain and powerful gusts of Typhoon Trami, 30 September 2018. Photo: Martin Bureau / AFP

By Yuko Takeo and Kazumi Miura
29 September 2018
(Bloomberg) – A typhoon is bringing Tokyo to a standstill.
East Japan Railway Co., which operates major rail lines in the Japanese capital, suspended all train services in the Tokyo area from 8 p.m. on Sunday in preparation for Typhoon Trami, which made landfall in the west of the country.
It is the first time for the rail operator to take such action, as far as can be confirmed, national broadcaster NHK reported. Most train services in the Japanese capital are expected to resume operations Monday morning, according to NHK.
Kansai International Airport, which serves the greater Osaka area in western Japan, closed two runways from 11 a.m. on Sunday through 6 a.m. on Monday to prepare for the possible impact of Trami, according to a statement on its website. Parts of the Tozai metro line in Tokyo also suspended service after 9 p.m. Greater Tokyo is the world’s largest metropolis with a population of about 36 million people.The typhoon made landfall in western Japan’s Wakayama prefecture Sunday night, and strong winds and rain had already begun to affect Tokyo before midnight, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Central Japan may be hit by record winds and there is the risk of record high waves in the Tokai area, where Nagoya is located and Toyota Motor Corp. is based.Trami, the 24th typhoon of the season, swept the southern islands of Okinawa and Kyushu Sunday morning, and maintained wind gusts of up to 213 kilometers per hour (132 mph) as it moved northwards, according to the JMA.More than 185,000 homes and offices had power outages as of 9 p.m. on Sunday in the southern Kyushu region, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co., while about 118,000 buildings were without power in Okinawa as of 9:50 p.m. according to Okinawa Electric Power Co. There have been more than 1,000 flight cancellations by various airlines on Sunday, and some stoppages have also been announced for Monday, NHK reported.Tides of up to 3.9 meters, with the potential to overflow coastal barriers, may occur in the Tokai region, according to the Japan Weather Association. [more]

Typhoon Trami Batters Japan, Halting Tokyo’ Trains for the First Time EverA woman in Tokyo leans into the winds of Typhoon Trami, 30 September 2018. Photo: Behrouz Mehri / AFP

30 September 2018 (AFP) – A powerful typhoon sliced through Japan Sunday, injuring dozens, halting transport, and bringing fierce winds and torrential rain to areas already battered by a string of recent extreme weather episodes.
Typhoon Trami sparked travel disruption in the world’s third-biggest economy, with bullet train services suspended, more than 1,000 flights cancelled and Tokyo’s evening train services scrapped.
At least 84 people suffered minor injuries, many hurt by windows shattered in the driving wind, and one woman in her 60s was reported missing amid fears she was swept into a gutter.
After pummelling Japan’s outlying islands including Okinawa, the storm made landfall south of the city of Osaka in the western part of the country around 8:00 pm local time (1100 GMT).
Yuji Ueno, an official in the town of Shirahama near where Trami made landfall, told AFP the winds were “enormous” and made it impossible to venture outside.
“We saw incredible winds and rain. I stepped outside the city hall in the afternoon, and the rain was swirling in very strong wind. Enormous wind.”
“It was difficult to stay standing. It was very scary,” said Ueno. […]
The typhoon did not hit the capital head-on but Tokyo still saw fearsome winds and lashing rain later Sunday and the streets of one of the world’s biggest cities were deserted.
At the world-famous crossing in Shibuya, where thousands normally jostle every few minutes as the lights change, just a few hardy souls braved the horizontal rain and powerful gusts. […]
Speaking to AFP from a hotel near the airport, British businessman Richard Swart said: “It’s actually quite warm outside, very windy and with very heavy rain.”
“The airport is closed. There are very few people around and all the shops are shut. It’s really deserted,” added Swart, 56, from Durham in northern England.
Even from the safety of the hotel, he said he could hear the wind “howling” outside. [more]

Dozens hurt as typhoon Trami hammers JapanTyphoon tracks near Japan (including the Ryukyu Islands) in 2018 through 25 September 2018 . Trami will be the eighth typhoon to track over or near Japan since early July 2018. Graphic: The Weather Channel

30 September 2018 (The Weather Channel) – Typhoon Trami will continue to hammer mainland Japan into Sunday night with widespread damaging winds, flooding rain and pounding surf.
Trami was making landfall in southern Japan as a Category 1 equivalent as of late Sunday, local time.The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued red alerts for high waves, flooding and storm conditions in much of central and southern Japan. Damaging winds, storm surge flooding, rainfall flooding and battering waves can be expected. The risks of mudslides and flooding are high in the regions of Kyushu, Shikoku and Kinki. Flooding is also more likely in southwestern Honshu in the areas south of Osaka due to heavier rains in recent days.Trami has prompted evacuations for tens of thousands of people in Japan, according to The Associated Press.In southern Japan, Trami injured at least 51 people and downed power lines on Okinawa.Nanjo City on the southern part of Okinawa Island measured a wind gust of 125 mph on Saturday, according to the JMA. […]Amazingly, there’s yet another typhoon threat on the horizon after Trami.Kong-rey is expected to intensify quickly in the Philippines Sea in the upcoming week, and may eventually pose a danger to Japan, including Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands, by late week. […]

Forecast Path of Typhoon Kong-rey, 30 September 2018. The red-shaded area denotes the potential path of the center of the tropical cyclone. It's important to note that impacts (particularly heavy rain, high surf, coastal flooding, winds) with any tropical cyclone usually spread beyond its forecast path. Graphic: The Weather Channel

Trami and Kong-rey will continue an active, destructive stretch of typhoons.Over a week ago, Super Typhoon Mangkhut raked across the northern Philippines at Category 5 intensity with damaging winds, flooding rain and deadly landslides. Mangkhut’s eyewall then raked far southeastern China, blowing out windows in Hong Kong high rises.In early September 2018, Typhoon Jebi sliced across Japan, producing extensive wind damage and pushing storm surge over Kansai International Airport.Jebi was the seventh typhoon to either landfall or brush closely to Japan since early July.In an average year, Japan’s four largest islands get two to three typhoon landfalls, according to factsanddetails.com. [more]

Typhoon Trami Striking Japan With High Speed Winds and Flooding Rain