Powerful typhoon Man-yi strikes Japan's Okinawa

[Shammu]

Powerful typhoon Man-yi strikes Japan's Okinawa
Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:16 PM IST147

 By Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) - A powerful typhoon pounded the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa on Friday, forcing the evacuation of thousands and the cancellation of hundreds of flights as it headed north towards the main islands.

Up to 500 mm of rain was expected to fall on the southernmost main island of Kyushu by Saturday, further battering areas already hit by heavy rains and flooding earlier this week. More than 8,000 people were advised to evacuate.

Some 100,000 people were left without electricity as Typhoon Man-yi bore down on the tropical Okinawa island chain some 1,600 km southwest of Tokyo. Twenty-three people were hurt.

NHK public television said more than 300 flights to and from Okinawa were cancelled.

China's Xinhua news agency reported a Chinese vessel sank on Tuesday some 600 km northwest of Guam as a result of the typhoon, leaving three crew members dead and seven others missing.

Twelve people have been rescued from the Hai Tong 7, Xinhua reported, quoting officials at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles.

The Chinese-flagged bulk log carrier, owned by Fuzhou Haijing Shipping, was en route from Papua New Guinea to China when the cargo began shifting as the vessel encountered strong winds and 7 metre seas, the survivors were quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, a small Chinese container ship, which broke down in the typhoon's path northeast of the coastal city of Wenzhou, has been rescued and is being towed to shore, Xinhua said, citing the Ministry of Communications.

Man-yi passed near the Okinawa city of Naha and was around 130 km northwest of Okinoerabu island as of 7:50 p.m. (1050 GMT), moving north at 25 kph, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

It had winds at its centre of around 160 kph and gusts of up to 234 kph, slightly weaker than before.

"This storm is moving slowly, which means that rain will fall for quite some time, especially in places like Kyushu," an agency official said.

"Rain is the biggest worry with this storm. Given the rain that has already fallen in Kyushu, the chance of damage is high."

The chances that the storm will make landfall somewhere in Kyushu on Saturday have risen sharply, another official said.

The storm was classified as a category 4 typhoon by British-based Web site Tropical Storm Risk (www.tropicalstormrisk.com).

It is currently likely to turn eastward, after which it will pick up speed and rapidly weaken. It could brush Tokyo on Monday, a national holiday.

Powerful typhoon Man-yi strikes Japan's Okinawa

[Shammu]

This was in my email, from a friend in Okinawa.  I checked it when I saw this trypoon, was hitting Okinawa.  She is asking for prayers as well.

WTPN31 PGTW 132100
MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVPACMETOCCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/JTWC//
SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING//   
RMKS/
1. TYPHOON 04W (MAN-YI) WARNING NR 026   
   01 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN NORTHWESTPAC
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE
    ---
   WARNING POSITION:
   131800Z --- NEAR 29.3N 128.1E
     MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 020 DEGREES AT 10 KTS
     POSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 040 NM
     POSITION BASED ON EYE FIXED BY SATELLITE
   PRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION:
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 090 KT, GUSTS 110 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   RADIUS OF 064 KT WINDS - 050 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            050 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            040 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            045 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 085 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            085 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            075 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            080 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   RADIUS OF 034 KT WINDS - 160 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            160 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            140 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            150 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   REPEAT POSIT: 29.3N 128.1E
    ---
   FORECASTS:
   12 HRS, VALID AT:
   140600Z --- 31.4N 130.1E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 080 KT, GUSTS 100 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL
   RADIUS OF 064 KT WINDS - 045 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            045 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            035 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            040 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 075 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            075 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            065 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            070 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   RADIUS OF 034 KT WINDS - 160 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            155 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            135 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            140 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 055 DEG/ 16 KTS
    ---
   24 HRS, VALID AT:
   141800Z --- 33.2N 133.3E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 065 KT, GUSTS 080 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL
   RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 055 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            055 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            045 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            050 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   RADIUS OF 034 KT WINDS - 140 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            135 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            120 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            130 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   VECTOR TO 36 HR POSIT: 065 DEG/ 19 KTS
    ---
   36 HRS, VALID AT:
   150600Z --- 34.7N 137.6E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 060 KT, GUSTS 075 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   EXTRATROPICAL
   VECTOR TO 48 HR POSIT: 070 DEG/ 22 KTS
    ---
   EXTENDED OUTLOOK:
   48 HRS, VALID AT:
   151800Z --- 36.1N 142.6E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 050 KT, GUSTS 065 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   EXTRATROPICAL
    ---
REMARKS:
132100Z POSITION NEAR 29.8N 128.6E.
TYPHOON (TY) 04W (MAN-YI) LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 250 NM SOUTH-
SOUTHWEST OF SASEBO, JAPAN, HAS TRACKED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AT
10 KNOTS OVER THE PAST 06 HOURS. THE CURRENT INTENSITY IS BASED
UPON SATELLITE INTENSITY ESTIMATES RANGING FROM 77 TO 90 KNOTS.
THE STORM IS BEGINNING TO WEAKEN AS IT ENCOUNTERS INCREASING
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR DUE TO THE MIDLATITUDE WESTERLIES. TY 04W
IS FORECAST TO BEGIN EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION BY TAU 12 AND WILL
BE FULLY EXTRATROPICAL BY TAU 36. THE FORWARD TRACK SPEED WILL
INCREASE AS THE STORM BEGINS EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION. ALTHOUGH
EXTRATROPICAL, IT WILL REMAIN A POWERFUL STORM WITH 60 KNOTS AS
IT TRACKS OVER THE KANTO PLAIN. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT
AT 131800Z IS 38 FEET. NEXT WARNINGS AT 140300Z, 140900Z, 141500Z
AND 142100Z.//



This is out her front door.