Tokyo, World Cup supporters brace for typhoon

Super Typhoon Hagibis is causing chaos for the final round of pool play at the Rugby World Cup.

But for many in Tokyo – including many New Zealanders – the cancellation of rugby games will be the least of their concerns as the storm bears down. How big is Typhoon Hagibis?

Short answer: huge. The storm is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, packing winds of up to 252kmh, and boasts a 55 kilometre-wide eye. Japan’s meteorological agency classifies it as a very strong typhoon, the second highest possible rating. Hagibis gained strength faster than just about any storm seen on earth before. What is a ‘super typhoon’?

A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the Northwestern Pacific Basin. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are actually all the same thing, but different names are used in different parts of the world.

Storms start out classified as as ‘‘tropical depressions’’ by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and are upgraded as they gain strength. To be classified as a super typhoon, the system must have winds of at least 190kmh. Where is Hagibis going to hit?

It is moving northwards over the Pacific at a rate of around 25kmh, and is expected to turn slightly to the northeast, directly into Japan’s main island of Honshu, placing Tokyo in its sights. Hagibis is forecasted to make landfall late tonight and has the potential to be hugely destructive. The storm should weaken slightly as it moves towards mainland Japan, but by the time it makes landfall, winds should be between 160kmh and 200kmh and rainfall of as much as 250mm is expected. How serious is this? Hagibis is a massive storm system and this will be a genuinely life-threatening situation. For comparison, the recent typhoon Faxai, which hit Tokyo Bay in September, killed three people, cut power for over a million and caused an estimated $300 billion yen (NZ$4.5b) in damage. As it is currently tracking, Hagibis is a larger storm than Faxai. What should tourists do?

MFAT is asking all New Zealanders in Japan to register with SafeTravel for updates. Currently 904 Kiwis in Japan are registered.