In Japan, Typhoon Nanmadol brought ferocious winds and record rainfall to the western part on September 19 as one of the biggest storms to hit the country in years. It has killed at least two people, disrupted transport, and forced manufacturers to suspend operations.
- Japan’s 14th typhoon of the season made landfall near Kagoshima city on Septeber 18 before battering the western island of Kyushu and roaring onto the main island of Honshu on 19th September.
- A river in Kyushu’s Miyazaki prefecture overflowed, flooding fields and roads, footage from state broadcaster NHK showed.
- Nanmadol was categorised as a super typhoon by the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC), a term applied to storms with sustained wind speeds of 240km/h (150mph) or more. It is the equivalent of a category four or five hurricane.
- Scientists have predicted a very active hurricane season this year, influenced by a natural phenomenon known as La Niña.
- Warmer sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and Caribbean as a result of climate change may also have an impact.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said intense tropical cyclones will likely increase on a global scale.
