TOKYO, Aug 17 (NNN-NHK) – Powerful typhoon Ampil, yesterday approached Japan’s Kanto region, eastern part of the country, with alerts for heavy rain and gale issued for Tokyo and other regions.
As of 4:45 p.m. local time, yesterday, the seventh typhoon of the year was moving north-east at 15 km per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
With an atmospheric pressure of 950 hectopascals at its centre, Ampil is packing winds reaching up to 216 kilometres per hour, said the JMA, which marked its intensity as “very strong.”
Bands of heavy rain clouds formed over Kanto, the Izu Islands and Yamanashi prefecture yesterday, sharply raising the risk of disasters, said the weather agency, urging people to take precautionary measures.
As many parts of Kanto region, including the greater Tokyo area, braced for downpours and gusts, the powerful typhoon has severely disrupted public transportation.
Over 600 domestic and international flights yesterday had been cancelled or grounded, by All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines at Haneda and Narita airports.
Disruptions to Shinkansen bullet train lines and other railway services also brought headaches to travellers, especially now, during the Bon holiday travel rush.
The Central Japan Railway Company had cancelled all services on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Nagoya yesterday, with reduced services between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka, expecting potential service suspensions and delays today.
The East Japan Railway Company had cancelled some services on the Tohoku, Joetsu and Yamagata Shinkansen lines, from around 11.00 a.m. local time, yesterday, adding that, services on the Hokuriku and Akita Shinkansen lines may also be disrupted by the storm.– NNN-NHK
