TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — Typhoon Mindulle on Monday made landfall in Japan's eastern Chiba prefecture with torrential rainfall and strong gusts, said the weather agency, warning of possible flooding and landslides.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the typhoon, the 9th of the season, made landfall near Tateyama in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, at around 12:30 p.m. on Monday and was heading north with a maximum wind gust speed of 180 kph and an atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals (hpa) at its center.
Train services were delayed or canceled in regions including greater Tokyo. Meanwhile, over 400 flights in Japan were canceled, affecting about 49,000 passengers.
All 23 wards of central Tokyo was on high alert of heavy rain and flood. Landslides, lightning, gust winds and high waves were also warned by the weather agency.
The typhoon is expected to head north to the Tohoku area in northeastern Japan and to Hokkaido in northern Japan by Tuesday, according the JMA.
It also expected precipitation would reach up to 400 millimeters in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning in central Japan's Tokai area, up to 300 mm in the Kanto and Koshin regions of eastern Japan and up to 200 mm in Tohoku and Hokkaido.
The typhoon also caused power cuts in eastern Japan's Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures Monday noon, affecting thousands of homes.