Typhoon Khanun makes slow approach to Japan's Kyushu island
Typhoon Khanun moved in a northerly direction on Wednesday, taking southwestern Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture into its storm zone, as it slowly approached the country's main island of Kyushu.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said as of 2pm local time, the storm was located roughly 140 km west of Makurazaki City in Kagoshima, with a central atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals and packing winds of up to 144 km per hour.
Khanun's relatively slow advance could cause mudslides, floods and strong winds while bands of heavy rain clouds could develop in the Amami region on Wednesday and in northern Kyushu until Thursday, said the JMA.
Rainfall in the 24 hours until Thursday noon is forecast to be up to 300 mm in Kyushu and Shikoku, up to 200 mm in Tokai and Kinki, and up to 150 mm in the Amami region and Chugoku, according to the weather agency.
Wide areas spanning western through eastern Japan on the Pacific coast are expected to receive record-breaking rainfall for August through around Friday, it added.
According to Kyushu Electric Power Co., about 17,630 households in Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures were affected by power outages as of 10 am on Wednesday.