Typhoon Neoguri originated near Guam early Friday, 4 July, and has developed into the first superstorm of the season along the Pacific rim.
It is now battering Japan's small southern islands (the Ryukyu Islands, known in Japan as the Nansei Islands). Storm surge across the southern Ryukyu Islands could reach 6m (20ft), with sustained winds as high as 160 kph (100 mph) and gusts up to 210 kph (130 mph). The largest of the Ryukyu Islands is Okinawa (1201sq km, 464sq mi), the southernmost prefecture of Japan, and site of the US' Kadena Air Force Base. Okinawa is 640km (400mi) south of the rest of Japan.
Accuweather predicts the storm will track north for two days and then veer toward the northeast, over mainland Japan.
Rain from the western edge of Neoguri (Korean for 'raccoon') is expected to hit the southeastern Korean peninsula on Wednesday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast high waves around Jeju Island and South Sea.
The Chosun Ilbo reported KMA's Lee Dong-hee saying, "The typhoon is expected to hit the Japanese mainland on Wednesday midnight and climb north along the island."
The typhoon's high winds and waves have so far bypassed the northern Philippines, but the storm did exacerbate heavy monsoon rains in the Philippines' western provinces.
Image at right from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/MTSAT satellite.
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