Super Typhoon Halong to soak the Philippines as it heads to Japan

Typhoon Halong will probably bring downpours to the Philippines in the next few days as it passes offshore on a track to slam into southwestern Japan with winds gusting to 140 nautical miles (260 kilometres) per hour.

Halong, moving west-northwest at 11 kilometres per hour, was centreed about 1,100 kilometres east of the Philippines, the nation’s weather bureau said in an 11am bulletin. Authorities have issued an evacuation advisory for almost half a million people in danger from flooding on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, the Asahi newspaper reported on its website.

Favorable conditions including warm sea surface temperatures are expected to persist, allowing Halong to maintain super typhoon strength over the next 24 hours, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast at 11am in Tokyo. The storm may weaken over the next three days, with maximum wind gusts dropping to 120 nautical miles per hour, according to the forecast.

“Halong has been rapidly intensifying to start the weekend,” Adam Douty, a meteorologist at Accuweather.com, said on its website. “While the current path of Halong puts the northern Ryukyu Islands and southern Japan at greatest risk of a direct landfall with heavy rain and damaging winds, all residents of Japan, the Korean Peninsula and even northeastern China should closely monitor the typhoon for potential dangers.”
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