A powerful typhoon was expected to approach the islands of Okinawa and the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture through Tuesday, the Meteorological Agency said, warning of heavy rains in those areas as well as in Kyushu and eastern Japan.
Typhoon Noul was packing winds of up to 216 kph at around noon Monday and was heading northward in the sea north of the Philippines at a speed of about 20 kph.
Another powerful typhoon, Dolphin, was also spotted near the Marshall Islands at noon Monday and was expected to hit the Mariana Islands on Thursday, the Meteorological Agency said.
Typhoon Noul was expected to bring strong winds and high waves to Okinawa late Monday and to Amami early Tuesday, with gusts forecast to reach up to 180 kph and waves up to 8 meters, according to the Meteorological Agency. It was predicted to head northeast in the sea south of Honshu on Wednesday.
Rainfall was expected to reach 120 mm per hour in northern Kyushu in the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Tuesday, while 100 mm was forecast for Okinawa and Amami.
Under the effects of a front coming from mainland China, heavy rains were also expected across wide swaths of Japan, such as Kanto-Koshin near Tokyo, Tokai centered on Nagoya, and Hokuriku on the Sea of Japan coast.
