Tropical storm hits Japan’s Okinawa islands again, unleashing torrential rain

TOKYO (AP) — A meandering storm was headed again toward southwestern Japan on Sunday, prompting fresh warnings about dangerously heavy rainfall after the same area was hit several days ago.

Tropical Storm Khanun, which means jackfruit in Thai, was returning to the southernmost group of islands of Okinawa moving slowly northward, packing winds of up to 30 meters per second (67 miles per hour) and hovering over Okinawa through Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki warned residents to brace for torrential rains and mudslides.

“This could mean that the dangers about to hit the area where you are living are unusual and on a scale you have never experienced,” he said of the storm.

He asked people to prepare escape routes to safety in advance.

“Do not let your guard down,” he said.

Large parts of Okinawa, including the main city of Naha, was being slammed by extremely heavy rainfall, according to weather reports.

The storm hit the same area last week, killing two people, injuring dozens of others and squelching power temporarily to tens of thousands of homes, according to the Okinawa government.

Weather experts said the storm’s wandering path was unusual and that it was moving slowly, affecting a wide area with strong winds and heavy rainfall. It also appeared to be getting stronger, experts said.

The storm was expected to continue moving northward, possibly making landfall on Japan’s southern major island of Kyushu by Wednesday or Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press