Japan Issues Rare Alert: Typhoon Shanshan ‘Strong Enough To Destroy Houses’

Meteorologists are warning that Typhoon Shanshan’s concerning winds could be strong enough to destroy houses, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a rare emergency warning ahead of the storm’s landfall.

Typhoon Shanshan is Japan’s 10th typhoon of the year. Although many typhoons never reached land, this storm is taking direct aim at Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island. On Wednesday, the JMA issued a slew of weather-related warnings, including advisories warning about storms, landslides, heavy rain, and other impacts expected in the Kagoshima region.

The JMA expects the typhoon to make landfall in Kyushu by Thursday morning. As of Wednesday afternoon, Zoom Earth satellite data identified Shanshan windspeeds at 110 mph. Maximum winds are expected to reach up to 112 mph, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane, with forecasted rainfall surpassing 23 inches.

The storm’s strength and impending arrival have prompted the evacuation of at least 118,000 households in Kagoshima, according to a report by The Japan News. Newsweek reached out to the JMA by email for comment.

“Typhoon Shanshan nears Japan, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a rare emergency warning as the storm moves slowly northward off the southwest coast,” extreme weather account Volcaholic posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Winds are forecast to reach around 180 kilometers per hour, strong enough to destroy houses, the typhoon’s intensity is significant. Such warnings are issued only when a typhoon’s central atmospheric pressure drops to 930 hectopascals or lower, or when winds reach this dangerous level. This marks only the fourth time the agency has issued such a warning, highlighting the severe threat posed by Typhoon Shanshan, a level of intensity seen only once every few decades.”

Typhoon Shanshan’s windspeeds have weakened slightly as they approach Japan. The storm was previously classified as a Very Strong Typhoon and windspeeds were measured at 130 mph on Tuesday afternoon.

Most spaghetti models, or computer models used to illustrate potential storm paths, show Shanshan tearing through Japan. The storm’s forecast has already prompted the cancelation of dozens of flights through Friday. Newsweek previously reported that many bullet trains and other local train services were expected to suspend operations on Thursday, although they were still operating normally on Wednesday. Similar travel disruptions could be implemented on Honshu, Japan’s main island, through the weekend.

On Tuesday, satellite imagery captured the storm as it approached Japan.

“Yesterday, Japan’s #Himawari9 captured imagery of Typhoon #Shanshan slowly approaching southern Japan,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted on X. “With sustained winds of ~115 mph, the storm is the equivalent of a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane.”