Typhoon Jelawat roars over Japan’s Okinawa island

Typhoon Jelawat roars over Japan’s Okinawa island

PanARMENIAN.Net - Typhoon Jelawat roared over the Japanese island of Okinawa on Saturday, Sept 29, weather agencies said, the latest to hit the region in recent weeks, CNN reports.

The typhoon is expected to rake the island's east coast before making landfall in the mainland Sunday.

Jelawat is a "very strong" storm with maximum sustained winds near the center of just over 100 mph (165 km/h), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. A NASA advisory said the cyclone was comparable to a category 3 hurricane.

If it maintains its current path straight up the Ryukyu island chain, the center should roll ashore the mainland south of Osaka City in a day, the meteorological agency said.

But the cyclone has lost some of its might, and should continue weakening while moving into colder waters, said CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis. Wind troughs out of China could divert Jelawat away from land and into the open Pacific Ocean.

This has not kept Okinawa from feeling the might of Jelawat's gusts, although there have been no reports of major damage.

"The winds are screaming through the streets," storm chaser James Reynolds said from Okinawa. "I've seen at least one window blow out."

He explained that buildings on the island are constructed to withstand the frequent Pacific typhoons. Just two weeks ago, Sanba, a category 3 storm with slightly stronger winds than Jelawat's, passed over Okinawa on its way to South Korea.

Local media reported gusts had overturned motor vehicles.

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