Typhoon Shanshan May Cause Downpours Even in Faraway Areas in Japan; Weather Agency Calls for Vigilance in Wide Swaths of Nation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:58 JST, August 27, 2024

Typhoon Shanshan, which is approaching Japan, may cause torrential rains even in areas far away from it, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Also referred to as Typhoon No. 10, the typhoon has taken a more westward route than originally predicted because a high-pressure system in the Pacific Ocean has extended westward, and a cold vortex that is a kind of low-pressure system with cold air high in the sky has caught the typhoon in its counterclockwise winds, the agency said.

The sea surface temperature in the south of Japan is over 30 C, which will likely cause the typhoon to develop further.

Also, due to the typhoon’s strong winds, humid air drawn from the warm seawater is likely to flow toward Pacific coast areas such as Shikoku and the Kinki and Tokai regions.

The agency is calling for people in those areas to watch out for downpours because it is possible that rain heavy enough to reach warning levels will fall in those areas even before the typhoon approaches them.