Typhoon Talim made landfall over the western coast of Kagoshima prefecture, Kyushu island, Japan, on 17 September with winds of up to 162km per hour. It then continued moving over eastern Kyushu, eastern Shikoku, western and northern Honshu, weakening. Talim reached the northern island of Hokkaido by early (local time) Monday 18 September.
High levels of rainfall have been reported across several areas. According to Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) figures, 179 mm of rain fell in 5 hours in Oita, Oita prefecture, on Sunday, 17 September. As Talim moves north, JMA warnings are in place for potential landslides and flooding in parts of Hokkaido and Tohoku.
Damage
FDMA says that 1 house was completely destroyed in Kagawa. Around 250 houses have suffered some damage. As many as 113 homes have been flooded in Okayama, 25 in Kagawa and 37 in Ehime.
Strong winds and heavy rain conspired to cause major disruption to public transport. Train services, including the Bullet trains, and dozens of flights have been cancelled.
Fatalities and Injuries
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) reports that an elderly woman died in a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Mitoyo city, Kagawa Prefecture. Local media, quoting police sources, are also reporting a second fatality after a man was found dead in his vehicle in a swollen river in Kochi.
FDMA said that one man is missing in Bungo-ono, a city located in Oita Prefecture. It is suspected that he was swept away by a swollen river near his home. At least 28 people have been injured, 3 of them seriously, as a result of the storm and floods, according to FDMA.
Evacuations
Evacuation orders (recommendation) have been issued for over 100,000 people across 11 prefectures, according to FDMA.
Currently there are around 4,000 people displaced for their homes. Northern parts of Oita prefecture have been worst hit by the heavy rain and flooding, with around 1,200 people forced from their homes as a result.
Rainfall
Figures below according to WMO for a 24 hour period.
16 to 17 September
- Miyazaki – 110 mm
17 to 18 September
- Oita – 242.0 mm
- Matsuyama – 187.5 mm
- Matsue – 99.0 mm
- Hiroshima – 88.0 mm
- Tottori – 153.5 mm
- Takamatsu – 162.5 mm
- Maizuru – 139 mm
- Oshima – 93 mm
- Tokyo – 57 mm
- Suttsu – 88 mm
Talim’s Eye
NASA’s GPM core observatory had an amazing view of Typhoon Talim in the western Pacific Ocean on September 13, 2017 at 11:37 EDT (1537 UTC).
A large eye was Talim’s most distinctive feature. GPM’s Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) showed the location of intense rainfall within Talim’s distinct eye wall.
DPR revealed that rain was falling at a rate of over 232 mm (9.13 inches) per hour in convective storms in the western side of the typhoon’s eye wall. GPM also showed that rainfall was far weaker to the east of Talim’s center.
Credits: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce
