A powerful typhoon made landfall east of Tokyo, Japan, in the Chiba prefecture around 5 a.m. local time on Monday, September 9, 2019. Although Japan is no stranger to typhoons, it is rare for these storms to make their way so far north. This storm, known as Typhoon Faxai, is the 15th typhoon passing through the region this season, but just the ninth typhoon that has made landfall in this area since Japan began maintaining records, according to Kyodo News. The last such occurrence was in August 2016.
Roughly 930,000 households temporarily lost power across the Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. The storm also disrupted major train and airline services during the morning commute. At least three people were confirmed dead and about 40 people injured.
The Japan Meteorological Society reported record-breaking winds on Kozu Island in the Izu islet chain (129 mph), Chiba prefecture (128 mph), and Tokyo’s Haneda airport (97 mph). The storm is now heading northeastward and out to sea.
This image was captured by the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite. This satellite, the first unit of the Japan Meteorological Agency's (JMA) third-generation of geostationary satellites, provides visible light and infrared images of the Asia-Pacific region. Himawari's data are vital for global geostationary coverage, which is why NOAA and JMA have agreed to mutual back-up arrangements for their geostationary systems.