Powerful Typhoon Faxai makes direct hit on Tokyo as a new tropical threat emerges south of Japan
A floating solar power plant, which floats on the reservoir at Yamakura Dam in Chiba Prefecture, in Japan, caught fire on Sept. 9, after Typhoon Faxai made landfall in the area. As the panels shifted around, some ended up on top of each other, which is what officials believe caused the fire to break out. The solar power plant opened in 2018 and is home to more than 50,000 solar panels.
Typhoon Faxai became one of the strongest typhoons in recent years to strike Japan's capital city as the Greater Tokyo area was left under assault from fierce winds and heavy rain from Sunday night into Monday morning, local time.
As the storm lashed eastern Japan, Faxai reportedly turned deadly, killing at least three people and leaving more than 40 others injured, according to the Japan Times. Authorities said one of the fatalities was a woman in her 50s who was killed after being launched into a wall by Faxai's powerful winds.
Around 910,000 power outages were reported as winds over 160 km/h (100 mph) battered the Tokyo area for several hours on Sunday night. More than 600,000 homes and businesses remained without power on Tuesday according to NHK.
The storm was the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane when it made landfall in Chiba City in the Chiba prefecture around 5 a.m. Monday, according to NHK. Chiba is located less than 40 km (25 miles) east of Tokyo.
Radar image showing the eye of Typhoon Faxai passing near Tokyo, Japan on Sunday night, local time.
Firefighters struggled to battle a fire at Japan's largest floating solar power plant near Tokyo on Monday in the wake of Faxai, according to NHK. Strong winds from Faxai may have caused the solar panels to pile on each other, producing extreme heat and sparking the fire.
More than 130 flights were canceled and train lines were closed for hours which caused significant delays for the Monday morning commute, according to the BBC. More than 17,000 people were stranded at Narita Airport on Monday as transportation links to the airport were severed by the storm.
Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate ahead of the storm, according to The Guardian.
Satellite image of Typhoon Faxai moving over eastern Japan Sunday night, local time. (Japan Meteorological Agency/Himawari 8)
Hot and humid weather will prevail across areas hit by Faxai into midweek. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will climb to near or above 38 C (100 F) in Tokyo through Wednesday. High temperatures reached 35 C (95 F) in Tokyo on Monday and Tuesday, marking the first time of back-to-back 35 C (95 F) September days in the city in the past 27 years.
Anyone still without power will be at an even higher risk for heat-related illnesses if they are unable to find relief from the harsh heat.
Relief from the heat will return to Tokyo on Thursday; however, a new tropical threat in the West Pacific will put locations from the Philippines to Japan on alert in the coming days.
Between the Philippines and Guam, a large area of unsettled weather may foster the development of at least one tropical cyclone this week. Through Friday, this large area of unsettled weather will bring the risk for downpours capable of causing localized flooding to much of the Philippines as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Tropical development could occur as early as Wednesday, only further enhancing these downpours.
After developing, a track toward the west and northwest would take the new tropical threat toward the Philippines before a potential turn northward late this week or this weekend.
A delayed turn to the north would put the Philippines at risk for increased impacts from the potential storm by late this week, while a sharper northward turn would spare the islands any widespread significant impacts. However, a sharper and faster northward turn would then put the Ryukyu Islands and Japan at risk for impacts by this weekend.
Another factor in the track of this storm will be if a second tropical system is able to develop in the Philippine Sea later this week. The interaction of the two tropical cyclones could have significant effects on the long-term track of both tropical threats.
Anyone living in or traveling to the Philippines, Guam or Japan should closely monitor the situation this week.
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