People queue up for payment in a supermarket of Tokyo, capital of Japan, Oct. 11, 2019. A powerful typhoon is expected to hit Tokyo and wide swathes of eastern Japan this weekend, the weather agency here said Friday. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Typhoon Hagibis, the 19th and likely most powerful typhoon of the season, is expected to make landfall by Saturday evening. (Xinhua/Ma Caoran)
TOKYO, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Japan's weather agency said Wednesday a powerful typhoon currently moving over waters near the Ogasawara Islands will likely approach Japan and may make landfall on the main island over the weekend.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Typhoon Hagibis is moving in a north-northwesterly trajectory near the islands in the Pacific and could hit regions in western and eastern Japan between Saturday and Sunday.
Hagibis, the 19th typhoon of the season, is moving at a speed of around 15 kilometers per hour and has an atmospheric pressure of 915 hectopascals at its center. The powerful storm is packing gusts of up to 270 kph, the JMA also said.
Along with strong gusts and torrential downpours, the typhoon is forecast to cause wave surges in Pacific coastal regions over the weekend, the agency said.
People along the typhoon's expected path have been warned to prepare for extreme weather conditions and transportation networks will likely be disrupted if Hagibis makes landfall.
With the Rugby World Cup underway in Japan, officials have said that some games may be cancelled or contingencies made if possible to move games to different venues.
