Mindulle hits Tokyo, leaves at least one dead and 29 injured

​Typhoon “Mindulle” made landfall near Tateyama on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba prefecture, Japan around 03:30 UTC (12:30 JST) on Monday, August 22, 2016. It had maximum sustained winds of 126 km/h (78.3 mph) and gusts as high as 180 km/h (112 mph) at the time of landfall, the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Mindulle is now heading towards its second landfall, this time near Samani in Hokkaido.

Hachijo Island south of Tokyo and Izu, Shizuoka prefecture measured rainfall of 86 mm (3.4 inches) per hour, a record for August, The Japan Times reported.

The typhoon left at least one person dead and 29 injured. According to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, a 58-year-old woman in Sagamihara was found clinging to a guardrail on flooded National Route 129 and was swept away by the water. Firefighters were able to rescue the woman who was then taken unconscious to a hospital, however, she died later in the day.

Japan Airlines canceled 148 domestic flights Monday, All Nippon Airways 96 flights, affecting a total of about 49 000 passengers.

Train services were also delayed or canceled in the morning in greater Tokyo and the Tokai region around Shizuoka Prefecture. The Yamagata Shinkansen Line ceased operating along a section between Fukushima and Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture, according to The Japan Times.

Just after 02:30 UTC, a landslide in western Tokyo, derailed a four-car train between Musashiyamato and Seibu Yuenchi stations. There were 6 passengers. Nobody was injured.

As of 15:00 UTC on August 22, Mindulle was a Severe Tropical Storm with maximum sustained winds of 102 km/h (63.3 mph) and wind gusts to 148 km/h (92 mph). It was heading north at 40 km/h (24.8 mph) with the central pressure of 990 hPa, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. At the time, Mindulle was located right over Ichinoseki (population 118 578), Iwate. This is 380 km (236 miles) north of Tokyo.

Its second landfall, this time near Samani, Hokkaido, is expected around 22:00 UTC on August 22 (07:00 JST on August 23).

Severe Tropical Storm “Mindulle” forecast track by JMA at 15:00 UTC on August 22, 2016

Typhoon “Mindulle” and Tropical Storm “Lionrock” on August 22, 2016. Credit: NASA/NOAA/DoD Suomi NPP / VIIRS

72 hours of rainfall accumulation by 09:00 UTC on August 22, 2016. Credit: NASA/JAXA GPM, Google

Featured image:  Typhoon “Mindulle” over Tokyo on August 22, 2016. Credit: NASA/NOAA/DoD Suomi NPP / VIIRS

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