Southeast Japan is preparing for the powerful Shanshan typhoon, which is expected to hit the island nation at night Finland time.
19:30•Updated 19:30
The southeastern parts of the island nation of Japan are preparing for a tropical storm, when typhoon Shanshan is expected to hit the country on Wednesday night Finnish time.
The storm is expected to be really strong. At sea, Shanshan is classified as a category 3 typhoon at its strongest, which is the third highest intensity category.
At sea, storm Gusts have reached up to 70 meters per second. Up to 500 millimeters of water can accumulate in the southern parts of Japan during a storm.
However, the winds are expected to weaken slightly when the hurricane hits land.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 800,000 residents in Kagoshima Prefecture on Japan’s southernmost island of Kyūshū. Major Japanese companies such as Toyota and Nissan are closing their factories between Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Several domestic flights in northeastern Japan have been canceled between Wednesday and Friday, and more than 18,000 passengers are expected to be affected. Around 10 international flights have also been cancelled.