Typhoon Nabi approaches southern Japan
Officials warned of heavy rains and strong winds today as a powerful typhoon approached southern Japan, forcing airline companies to cancel hundreds of flights.
Typhoon Nabi was packing winds of up to 100 miles per hour as it barrelled toward Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.
As of early today it was located about 62 miles east of Amami Oshima island. It was expected to hit Kyushu island at midnight.
The agency said up to 24 inches of rain was forecast for southern Kyushu. Nabi, which means butterfly in Korean, was expected to approach western Japan and Hokkaido later, the agency said.
The government has set up a task force to monitor situation, said Yu Kameoka, a spokesman for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Heavy rains pounded Tokyo and its surrounding areas late yesterday, flooding thousands of homes and leaving at least one person dead.
