- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN) - Sugiphon Hagibis has had that category for more than 60 hours, which makes it the most durable supertiphon this year.
It is spinning in the western Pacific with an eye 55 kilometers wide and winds comparable to those of a category 5 hurricane.
Hagibis is now on its way to directly impact Japan this weekend. Thursday morning, local time, followed the trail to the northwest. It is expected that on Friday it will begin to take a further turn to the north-northeast.
This turn will have significant implications for the effects that are likely to be felt throughout Japan.
The current forecast of the joint warning center for typhoons shows the eye of the storm moving very close, if not directly over Tokyo, with a force equivalent to that of a category 2 hurricane.
The last one to do something similar was Typhoon Faxia, just a month ago. He killed three people and left more than $ 7 billion in total economic losses in Japan, according to the September AON Global Catastrophe Summary.
Hagibis is forecast to land very close to where Faxia did in September.
Depending on the exact trajectory and where it hits the ground, Hagibis could push a significant cyclonic storm surge several meters into Tokyo Bay. The worst wave would occur if the storm hits land just west of the bay.
On Saturday, "conditions in Japan will deteriorate throughout the day with the worst movement in central Japan late Saturday until Sunday local time," said CNN meteorologist Monica Garrett.
It is possible that it rains more than 250 millimeters in some places in central-southern Japan.
Regardless of the exact time and intensity, significant travel interruptions (both air and rail) are expected, as well as the possibility of power outages for millions.
The Rugby World Cup is currently held throughout Japan and several matches will be affected by strong winds and heavy rains. Cancellations due to weather may occur even on Saturday and Sunday for damages that occur.
Taylor Ward and Brandon Miller of CNN contributed to this report
Supertiphon
