Emergency Wind, Wave Warnings Issued for Remote Tokyo Islands

Tokyo, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency issued on Wednesday afternoon emergency warnings for strong winds and high waves for the remote Tokyo islands of Hachijojima and Aogashima. The warnings were issued at 4:50 p.m., with very strong Typhoon Halong moving north over the sea southwest of the Izu Islands in the Pacific, which include both Hachijojima and Aogashima. The agency issued the same emergency warnings to six other islands in the Izu chain, excluding Oshima, at 9:10 p.m. The six islands are Toshima, Niijima, Shikinejima, Kozushima, Miyakejima and Mikurajima. The 22nd typhoon of the year is expected to approach the Izu Islands by Thursday morning, causing “strong gusts of wind that could destroy some houses,” according to the agency. “The typhoon has developed into something bigger than we had expected, due to the sea temperatures along its path being 1 to 2 degrees Celsius higher than average,” Shuichi Tachihara, director of the agency’s Forecast Division, told a press conference at the agency’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. “We ask (residents and others) to ensure their safety early as we may see strong winds and high waves that we’ve never experienced before,” he said. Also, heavy rain may hit the Izu Islands, with a linear precipitation zone possibly occurring by noon Thursday. The 24-hour rainfall until 6 p.m. Thursday may reach up to 300 millimeters. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, Typhoon Halong was moving northeast about 170 kilometers southwest of Aogashima at 20 kilometers per hour, with a central atmospheric pressure of 940 hectopascals, a maximum wind speed of 50 meters per second and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 70 meters per second. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]