Once a fearsome "super typhoon" that delivered a long duration blow to Okinawa, where nearly two feet of rain reportedly fell, tropical storm Neoguri will soon make landfall on the highly populated mainland island of Kyushu, Japan. It has weakened to just a shadow of its former self, with maximum sustained winds of just 70 miles per hour as of 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
While the storm's winds will continue to weaken as the storm moves over land and encounters strong jet stream winds aloft that are helping to tear the storm apart, Neoguri remains a major hazard.
The storm's biggest threat lies in its capacity to produce heavy rainfall that can lead to flooding and mudslides. This is especially the case in southwestern Japan, where record rainfall that was unrelated to Neoguri has primed the ground for landslides. At least one landslide has already been reported in Nagano, which killed a 12-year-old boy, according to The Weather Channel.
A more clear photo of the landslide in Nagano. pic.twitter.com/pTNxtayqFo— Robert Speta (@robertspeta) July 9, 2014
Citing the Japanese Meteorological Agency, The Weather Channel also reported that 15.67 inches of rain fell at Ushibuka, on Kyushu's west coast, Sunday through Wednesday evening. Those rains were also unrelated to the approaching typhoon.
Japan's NHK news agency is reporting that up to 28 inches of rain could fall in the higher elevations of Kyushu as the storm makes landfall and proceeds northeastward, passing near or over the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku and portions of Honshu, including the city of Tokyo, before reemerging over the Pacific Ocean.
The storm's slow movement of just 10 to 15 miles per hour heightens the threat of flooding.
Okinawa offers a preview of what may be to come for Japan's more populated main islands. After being battered by winds gusting to 101 miles per hour, at least 17 inches of rain fell in about 24 hours in Nago, Okinawa, causing widespread flash flooding. The average monthly precipitation for July in Naha, Okinawa, is just 5.64 inches, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency.
台風8号、本当になめてた。 宮崎のみんな、本当に気をつけて。 自分も頑張ります。 水道電気がいまだにストップ。 死人出るぞまじで。 pic.twitter.com/3XTdav7GFL— 宮原竜騎 (@M_Ryuki0529) July 8, 2014
At its peak, Super Typhoon Neoguri had sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, which made it the strongest Pacific typhoon so far this year. Typhoons are the same type of storm as hurricanes, just called a different name based on their location.