Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Warnings of heavy rain and strong winds were issued in Japan Wednesday as a powerful typhoon heads near the islands.
The storm was expected to move toward the eastern and northeastern coastal regions late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Forecasters said the storm could make landfall and dump more than 13 inches of rain over Tokyo by Thursday.
"Please be fully on alert against mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas, flooding of rivers, violent winds, high waves and high tides," the weather agency said in a statement, urging residents to obey any evacuation instructions.
Flights were canceled at Tokyo's airports Wednesday ahead of the slow-moving storm, which had wind gusts of more than 110 mph and was expected to intensify.
The typhoon is the latest to hit Japan following a record and deadly heat wave. Heavy downpours have led in flooding and landslides that killed more than 200 people so far this season.
