At a Glance
- Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in Japan on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Category 2 strength.
- Torrential rainfall, damaging winds and storm surge flooding hammered Japan.
- This was the second significant typhoon strike in Tokyo in just over a month, after September's Faxai.
Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on Saturday, Oct. 12, with torrential rainfall, storm surge flooding and strong winds hammering its largest main island, Honshu. Hagibis had rapidly intensified into a super typhoon over the open waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, but it weakened before reaching Japan.
The typhoon made landfall at Category 2 strength over Izu Peninsula at Kawasaki City on Oct. 12 around 7 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Hagibis had previously been a super typhoon – a term given to typhoons with estimated maximum winds of at least 150 mph – for 78 hours, since rapidly intensifying Oct. 6 into Oct. 7.
(LATEST NEWS: Hagibis Slams Japan; At Least One Dead, Dozens Injured)
Torrential rainfall and flooding inundated southern parts of Honshu, Japan's largest main island. More than a foot of rainfall was measured over the Tokai region, and 37 inches of rain had been reported at Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture from late Oct. 11 to late Oct. 12.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its highest alert level for unprecedented rainfall in parts of Honshu, including the Tokyo area, on Oct. 12.
A wind gust of 100 mph was measured at Kozushima in Tokyo Prefecture, and a gust of 98 mph was recorded at Tokyo Airport. The highest sustained wind was 78 mph at Haneda, also in Tokyo Prefecture.
A tornado also caused damage in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, on the morning of Oct. 12, when a man was killed after his vehicle flipped over, also injuring several others.
Hagibis struck Japan just over a month after Typhoon Faxai hammered Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, damaging 34,000 buildings, knocking out power to 930,000 homes, snarling air and rail travel and causing over a half-billion dollars in agricultural damage, according to The Straits Times.
Travel was also impacted, including in the Tokyo area, where some flight and train cancellations had been announced. Hagibis also disrupted Rugby World Cup matches in Japan, including a match between England and France and a match between New Zealand and Italy that were scheduled for Oct. 12 but had been canceled.
Hagibis' Rapid Intensification
Maximum sustained winds near the center of Hagibis increased from 60 mph at 8 a.m. EDT on Oct. 6 to 160 mph at 8 a.m. EDT on Oct. 7. That means Hagibis intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 equivalent in just 24 hours.
Based on wind speed, the rapid intensification of Hagibis rivaled one of the most extreme typhoons on record. Maximum sustained winds in 1983's Super Typhoon Forrest increased by 100 mph in one day, according to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division.
Hagibis brought bands of heavy rain and gusty winds to the Northern Mariana Islands, including Guam and Saipan, late Oct. 7 into Oct. 8. Anatahan Island saw the brunt of the strongest winds from Hagibis, although that island has no population.
The Western Pacific Ocean is the most active basin for tropical cyclones on Earth.
Hagibis was the 19th named storm of the year in the Western Pacific Ocean, according to Digital Typhoon.
From 1981-2010, an average of 26 Western Pacific named storms formed each year, 17 of which became typhoons – more than double the average of Atlantic Basin named storms (12) and hurricanes (6).
Since these Western Pacific systems can form any time of year, there really is no season.
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