Powerful typhoon Nanmadol slams into southern Japan

At least four million people have been asked to evacuate by the authorities following a warning from Japan's meteorological agency warned of torrential rain, storm surges along the coast, and winds capable of ripping through houses.

The powerful Typhoon Nanmadol has made landfall in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima even as large-scale evacuations continued. Local media reported the potential to become one of the largest storms to hit Japan in the last 70 years. 

At least four million people have been asked to evacuate by the authorities following a warning from Japan's meteorological agency warned of torrential rain, storm surges along the coast, and winds capable of ripping through houses. In Kyushu's Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, at least 20,000 people were spending the night in shelters.

Weather Monitoring and Warning Centre chief Hiro Kato said areas affected by the storm had been receiving rain never experienced before. 

Officials also warned people about mudslides and flooding in low-lying areas. Reports said that even before the landfall happened, the power supply to nearly 98,000 households in Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures had been snapped.

The typhoon brought in winds gusting up to 234 kmph and over 500 mm of rain in under24 hours in the southwestern Kyushu region. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appealed to people to stay away from dangerous places and evacuate if they felt even the slightest hint of danger.

In the wake of the extreme weather conditions, bullet train services and hundreds of flights have been cancelled. The super typhoon is predicted to travel up through central Japan towards Tokyo over the coming days. It is expected to maintain much of its strength as it moves.

Japan is going through its typhoon season. During this period, the country sees upto 20 such storms a year which bring heavy rains that cause landslides or flash floods. According to Japan's met department, the typhoon could be worse than the 2019 Typhoon Hagibis and the 2018 Typhoon Jebi that claimed 14 lives.