TOKYO, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Millions of Japanese people in the Tokyo area are braced for Typhoon Wipha, a massive storm forecasters said will bring more than a foot of rain.
Forecasters said though the storm weakened some Tuesday as it interacted with a cold front coming down from the north, Wipha still packed winds gusting to 75 mph and was expected to dump another 6 to 12 inches of rain Wednesday. The center of the storm was expected to make landfall near Tokyo sometime Wednesday, Accuweather.com reported.
Areas south of Tokyo had already seen 22 inches of rainfall by early Wednesday.
Schools across the region were ordered closed and officials issued warnings to residents to remain indoors if they hadn't already evacuated to higher ground. The Japan Daily Press said forecasters had dubbed Wipha a "once in a decade" storm.
The heavy rain also brings the possibility of mudslides in mountainous regions, a major problem during the last storm of this size, which came ashore in October 2004 and killed almost 100 people.
Wipha is the eighth typhoon of the 2013 season, Accuweather.com said.
