Typhoon In-fa hits southern Japanese islands, another tropical threat looms

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(2019) 0:49

(CNN) -

Typhoon In-fa is closing in on the islands of southern Japan and has its sights set on eastern China for next week.

The storm could bring extremely heavy rainfall totals to millions in China and Taiwan.

And behind In-fa, there is a tropical threat to the northern and central parts of Japan, which could have a potential impact on the Olympics early next week.

Typhoon In-fa hits southern Japan

Typhoon In-fa is currently about 200 miles from Okinawa and is beginning to move northwest.

Maximum winds for the storm are 150 kph, as of the 5 p.m. ET update from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

In-fa has seen a slight midweek weakness due to dry air, which has weakened its thunderstorms, as well as slightly cooler sea surface temperatures.

The good news is that no significant strengthening from this storm is expected from this;

but it will still be equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane hitting land in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

In-fa will continue to creep in the general northwesterly direction through Friday local time, with peak winds of around 160 to 165 kph as it impacts Okinawa and other parts of the southern islands of Japan.

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In addition to the strong winds, there will continue to be heavy rains.

The area in and near Miyakojima, Japan, will be at the center of the heavy rains, with an additional 500 millimeters of rain forecast.

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The center of the storm is expected to pass more than 100 miles north of Taiwan, but the island will continue to receive large amounts of rain.

"Taiwan's mountain range could squeeze up to a meter of rain over the region, while Taiwan has been dealing with its worst drought in about 50 years. This amount of rain could lead to flash floods and catastrophic landslides," says the meteorologist. by CNN Tom Sater.

Some 380 to 500 millimeters of rain are expected through Saturday local time.

As In-fa pulls away from Japan and Taiwan this weekend, the storm will head towards eastern China and will likely affect the area starting Sunday.

There are still time differences on when it will make landfall, but it is expected to reach the area between Shanghai and Wenzhou, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

The JTWC expects maximum sustained winds near the center of the storm to be approximately 110 kph, which is a strong tropical storm.

However, the storm may still be as strong as a typhoon due to forecast uncertainty.

The biggest concern is the possibility of flooding in densely populated areas of China.

"Heavy rains will be history with this largely on the Shanghai side of the storm and where most of the moisture is pushed towards the coast," says CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.

"Rains of up to 250 millimeters will be widespread with larger amounts of up to 500+ millimeters in isolated locations. Floods will be a major concern for this.

Possible tropical cyclone during the Olympics

Following Typhoon In-fa is the possibility of a new tropical cyclone forming in the western Pacific Ocean.

There are many unknowns surrounding the forecast for this next storm, but the multi-day model guidance has indicated a tropical storm or typhoon risk for the northern and central parts of Japan around Sunday or Monday.

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The Joint Typhoon Warning Center gives this area to observe a medium probability of potential tropical development in the short term.

At this time, there may be heavy rain and gusts of wind in east central Japan early next week, which could disrupt some events at the Tokyo Olympics.

We will have more details on this as the forecast gets more certain.

Typhoon