Typhoon Jelawat Update #20

Typhoon Jelawat is moving quickly south of Kyushu and Shikoku and could make landfall in Honshu later today. The storm was last located approximately 700km southwest of Tokyo. Maximum sustained winds are down to 140kph with gusts of up to 185kph. Jelawat is moving northeastward at 40kph.

IR Image from NRLMRY

Latest satellite image shows the core of Jelawat remaining mostly intact despite the increasingly hostile environment. It is staying a couple of hundred kilometers south of Kyushu and Shikoku but is still bringing widespread rains across these islands. As much as 100 to even 200mm of rain could fall here throughout today. Winds of up to 80kph and rough waves are also possible along the coast.

Radar from JMA

Latest radar from JMA shows the widespread rains brought by the outer rain bands of Jelawat. Some of these bands can bring as much as 30mm to even 50mm of rain in just one hour! Eventually those rains and winds will move towards Honshu in the next few hours. Please continue to consult the local officials for any warnings in your area. For more radar images, warnings, and forecasts for Japan, please click HERE

Typhoon Jelawat will continue moving quickly to the northeast and could make landfall in Honshu later today. Landfall point is forecast to be east of the Kii Peninsula somewhere along the Chubu Region by around 12pm to 3pm Japan Time. Due to the fast movement, we expect Jelawat to maintain Typhoon intensity upon landfall but then quickly weaken to Tropical Storm thereafter. Jelawat will then cross into Kanto Region, passing near Tokyo by later this Sunday evening. Jelawat might be weak at this point but it can still bring damaging winds and very heavy rains!

We'll have another update on Jelawat as well as on Ewiniar later this afternoon. Stay safe!
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Issued (2230 UTC) 630am PhT 093012