Typhoon In-fa, the season's 31st, was about 1,200 kilometers south of Japan at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, moving north at roughly 15 kilometers per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strong typhoon had a central pressure of 970 hectopascals, maximum sustained winds of 35 meters per second near its center and gusts of 50 meters per second.
The typhoon is forecast to be about 320 kilometers north-northwest of Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands by 3 p.m. on Thursday, with a central pressure of 980 hectopascals and maximum winds of 30 meters per second. By 3 p.m. on Friday it is expected to have become an extratropical cyclone far east of Japan.
Rain expected across Kanto
According to the Japan Weather Association, the typhoon will track northeast over the sea east of Japan and is not expected to hit land directly. A low-pressure system is forecast to form off the Boso Peninsula by Thursday morning and move northeast along the Kanto coast as it develops.
Warm, moist air circulating around the typhoon will flow into the low, making the atmosphere highly unstable over the Kanto-Koshin region. From late Wednesday night until around midday Thursday, some areas of Kanto are expected to see heavy or very heavy rain accompanied by thunder.
Forecast track
The agency's forecast, issued at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, gives the following positions. All wind speeds are maximum sustained unless noted.
- 3 p.m. Wednesday (observed): typhoon, strong; south of Japan, 24.9N 138.6E; moving north at 15 km/h; central pressure 970 hPa; winds 35 m/s, gusts 50 m/s; storm area with winds of 25 m/s or more extending 130 km east and 110 km west; strong-wind area with winds of 15 m/s or more extending 330 km east and 280 km west
- 3 a.m. Thursday (forecast): typhoon; south of Japan, 26.9N 138.7E; moving north at 20 km/h; central pressure 975 hPa; winds 30 m/s, gusts 45 m/s; forecast circle radius 45 km
- 3 p.m. Thursday (forecast): typhoon; about 320 km north-northwest of Chichijima, 29.8N 141.1E; moving northeast at 35 km/h; central pressure 980 hPa; winds 30 m/s, gusts 40 m/s; forecast circle radius 80 km
- 3 p.m. Friday (forecast): extratropical cyclone; far east of Japan, 41.9N 156.3E; moving northeast at 80 km/h; central pressure 976 hPa; winds 30 m/s, gusts 45 m/s; forecast circle radius 185 km