Severe tropical storm Khanun drenches Kyushu, Japan

Aug 09 (NHK) - Severe Tropical Storm Khanun is bringing downpours to Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu.

The system tore through Okinawa Prefecture as a typhoon last week. It's since been downgraded but is still packing high winds and torrential rainfall.

Japan's weather agency says at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Khanun had winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour. It was moving north at 15 kilometers per hour.

Khanun's relatively slow advance has led rain clouds to hover for long periods. Some areas of Kagoshima Prefecture got over 450 millimeters of rain in the 24 hours through 8 p.m.

Bands of rain clouds could build in other regions in Kyushu through Thursday morning, raising disaster risks. Authorities in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures have issued alerts for mudslides.

Weather officials say Japan's Pacific side could get record downpours through Friday. They're warning of landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, overflowing rivers, violent winds and high waves. People are advised to take early precautions. The storm has already caused traffic disruptions and blackouts in a wide area.

Officials say another storm is expected to approach Japan's Ogasawara Island chain in the Pacific from Thursday through Saturday. They say Severe Tropical Storm Lan could then head north towards the Izu Islands.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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