Typhoon Shanshan Hits Japanese Island

Typhoon Shanshan landed on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu Thursday morning. It may be one of the most severe storms to hit Japan in decades.

Details: The island was battered with torrential rain, flooding, landslides and winds of up to 123 mph. So far, three people have been killed, 74 others have been injured, and over 250,000 have been left without power.

“I’ve never experienced such a strong wind or tornado in my 31 years of life,” Tomoki Maeda, a local from Kyushu, told Reuters.

Across the rest of Japan, 5.2 million people have been told to evacuate, major automobile factories have suspended production, and 600 flights have been canceled. Some areas were issued a rare Level 5 emergency warning in preparation.

Shanshan, originally a Category 4 typhoon, was downgraded to a severe tropical storm on Thursday afternoon.

Forecast: The storm is expected to linger over Kyushu until the weekend before making its way north to central Japan and the capital, Tokyo.

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