Typhoon WIPHA Dumps 800mm of Rain Over Tokyo

UPDATED at 04:00UTC on October 16, 2013

• Typhoon WIPHA has killed at least 14 people in Japan, according to NHK. Most of them victims died as a result of collapsing buildings due to flooding and mudslides.

• The typhoon dumped more than 800 millimeter of rain over 24 hours as it swiped the region. That’s more than double the average for the month of October.

• The storm has left at least 37 people injured in 16 prefectures, said NHK.

• More than 50 people are reported as missing on Izu Oshima island, located about 120km south of Tokyo, according to local reports.

• Authorities had advised 23,000 homes to evacuate.

• “It is the strongest typhoon in 10 years to pass the Kanto (Tokyo area) region,” said senior forecaster at Japan Meteorological Agency.

• Fukushima nuclear plant operators said they were pumping out rainwater from the storage tanks.

• “We are making preparations for proper management of contaminated water. We will patrol places that could have inflows of water (from the typhoon rains),” said Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

WIPHA brings heavy rain and strong winds to Tokyo and most of Japan

WIPHA has dumped more than 800 millimeters (31.5 in) of rain over the past 24 hours, twice the average rainfall for the month of October according to Japan Meteorological Agency.

The island of Izu Oshima, located south of Tokyo, received 122 millimeters of rain in a one-hour period Wednesday morning.

WIPHA was still a typhoon force Wednesday morning with sustained winds of about 126km/hr and gusts exceeding 180km/hr. It was located near 36.1°N, 141.6°E, moving NE at 65km/h at of 00:01UTC on October 16, 2013.

WIPHA failed to make landfall. The eye of the storm came to within 40km of land at its closest point near Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture. Probability of the typhoon making landfall was about 78 percent, based on the most favorable conditions, as projected by FIRE-EARTH on Tuesday.

Typhoon WIPHA.  IR satellite image (NHC Enhancement) recorded at 23:32UTC on October 15, 2013. Source of original image: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. Re-enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

Typhoon WIPHA. Visible/Shortwave IR (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) satellite image recorded at 23:32UTC on October 15, 2013. Source of original image: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

WIPHA forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights affecting up to 100,000 passengers. Dozens of bullet trains as well as other train services were also cancelled.

The typhoon affected oil refining marine operations in several prefectures located on coastal Honshu.

More details to follow…

Related Links

• Typhoon WIPHA Targets Tokyo October 15, 2013
• Typhoon NARI Chased by TS WIPHA October 12, 2013
• Vietnam Evacuates 250,000 ahead of NARI October 14, 2013