Overview
- Typhoon No.24, which the Japan Meteorological Agency updated on Thursday, is forecast to move north of Amami then turn west, south and east to outline a large loop around Okinawa between Sept. 4–8 with growing uncertainty in its track.
- Forecast uncertainty has expanded rapidly: the JMA's forecast cone grows from about a 95-kilometer radius on the fourth night to roughly 400 kilometers by the eighth night, reflecting weak steering flows and sensitive pressure changes.
- Strong winds and heavy rain are already occurring across the region, with Okinawa Main Island and the Daito islands in the strong-wind zone, a 30.3 m/s gust recorded at Kita-Daito, and a Level 3 heavy rain warning in Ishigaki.
- Transport and local services are disrupted, with 56 ferry sailings and six regional flights canceled, and authorities warning residents to be ready for landslides, lowland flooding and rising rivers as rainfall and waves persist.
- Meteorologists say the typhoon's intensity is not extreme but its slow, erratic motion raises the risk of prolonged rainfall and swell that could extend damage and complicate relief and logistics for island communities.