Typhoon Usagi expected to strike Japan by Steph Ball
Typhoon Usagi, or the “Rabbit” Typhoon as translated from Japanese, is forecast to approach Japan, making landfall sometime early on Thursday 2nd August.
On Monday morning Usagi was situated some 290nm southeast of the island Iwo To and is set to track north-northwest over the next few days on a course for Japan. At present it is packing winds of over 80mph (140km/h) with gusts over 100mph (170km/h).
Typhoon Usagi has the potential to become a super typhoon before it makes landfall, with the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre predicting winds to reach 140mph (230km/h) by Thursday morning, with gusts 170mph (over 270km/h).
Usagi will be the second Typhoon to hit Japan in less than a month. Japan is regularly buffeted by tropical cyclones during the northern hemisphere's summer. Typhoon Man-Yi caused the deaths of three people earlier this month, injured many and disrupted air and rail transport. The typhoon buffeted Okinawa and southern western Japan with wind speeds of up to 180mph (300km/h).
Further updates on Usagi may appear here over the next few days as the typhoon edges closer towards Japan.
