06:38 09Oct2004 UPDATE 1-Typhoon Ma-on nears Japan, may strike Tokyo


TOKYO, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A powerful typhoon, one of the strongest storms
recorded in Asia this year, neared Japan on Saturday, lashing the nation
with heavy rain, prompting evacuations and threatening to strike Tokyo.
Typhoon Ma-on, which is expected to make landfall this evening, would be
a record ninth typhoon to hit Japan this year and comes just a week after
storm Meari killed 27 people.
"There is a very high chance that this storm will make landfall
somewhere in central or even eastern Japan," an official at the Japanese
Meteorological Agency said.
"We also have to consider the possibility that it may directly hit
Tokyo."
Authorities on Shikoku island, which was severely battered by Meari's
torrential rains, urged more than 3,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Several hundred people in other parts of Japan sought refuge in schools and
public halls.
A missing newspaper delivery man on his rounds in Chiba, just east of
Tokyo, was believed to have been swept into a river, police said.
The storm also forced the postponement of qualifying for Sunday's
Japanese Grand Prix motor racing event to the morning of the competition, an
unprecedented move taken after extreme conditions caused havoc during free
practice on Friday at Suzuka, around 300 km west of Tokyo.
Meteorological officials said the storm, which triggered several
landslides in central Japan but no reports of injuries or major damage,
could be the most powerful to hit eastern Japan in a decade.
Previously classified as a maximum category 5 typhoon, Ma-on, which
means "horse saddle," had weakened slightly as it neared Japan, but was
still packing winds at its centre of up to 162 km (100 miles) an hour, and
forecasters warned of powerful gusts.
At noon (0300 GMT), the storm was around 130 km (80 miles) south of Cape
Shiono, around 450 km west of Tokyo, and heading north northeast at 60 km an
hour -- "about the speed of a car," the Meteorological Agency official said.
Around 300 mm (12 inches) of rain had fallen in some parts of Chiba
prefecture in the 24 hours to Saturday morning. Some 300 mm of rain was
expected to fall in parts of eastern and northern Japan by Sunday morning.
Since the approach of the storm was likely to coincide with high tide,
forecasters also warned of possible tidal surges.
The storm forced the cancellation of some 51 domestic flights and 44
international flights, Kyodo news agency said. Ferry service was also
suspended in some areas.
Storms and floods have killed at least 72 people in Japan this year and
caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Experts say Japan has suffered from an unusual number of storms due to
warmer offshore waters and weaker than normal Pacific high pressure areas.

09:24 09Oct2004 AAP-Motor: Japanese GP escapes 'Ma-on' typhoon

Fears that a typhoon could disrupt tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix have
subsided as the storm passed Suzuka without causing damage today.
The heavy rain that caused havoc in yesterday's practice and prompted
the postponement of today's qualifying stopped in Suzuka at around 1500
local time (1600 AEST) as Typhoon Ma-on has moved east towards Tokyo.
Formula One officials took the unprecedented step of postponing
qualifying to the morning of the race after several drivers skidded off
during yesterday's practice.
With Ma-on bringing winds of up to 160kph near its centre, race
organisers decided to close the Suzuka circuit today.
The typhoon is one of the strongest recorded in Asia this year and the
record ninth to hit Japan this year. Last week storm Meari killed 27 people.

12:07 09Oct2004 RTRS-UPDATE 3-Typhoon strikes Tokyo, wreaks havoc on
transport

(Recasts with storm striking Tokyo, adds details)

TOKYO, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The most powerful typhoon to hit eastern Japan
in a decade pummelled Tokyo on Saturday, snarling transport at the start of
a long holiday weekend and forcing thousands in the countryside to evacuate.
Ma-on was the record ninth typhoon to hit Japan this year and the second
in two weeks. It left two people missing and forced the cancellation of
hundreds of flights, stranding thousands at the start of a three-day weekend
Around 2,400 people throughout Japan were evacuated from their homes,
seeking refuge in schools and public halls, Kyodo news agency said.
"The worst for Tokyo should be over quickly, although care must still be
taken of high winds and heavy rain for a little while," a Meteorological
Agency official said, as torrential rain and high winds lashed the capital
city.
The storm halted service on several subway lines and flooded streets in
parts of downtown Tokyo with knee-deep water.
"I really should have stayed at home," said a man struggling with his
umbrella in Tokyo's posh Ginza shopping district.
Some parts of central Tokyo were hit with as much as 69 mm (2.7 inches)
of rain in an hour, NHK national television said.
At least 87 international flights were cancelled along with hundreds of
domestic ones, it said.
The storm made landfall in Shizuoka, 150 km (93 miles) west of Tokyo.
Record strong gusts of 243 km (151 miles) an hour were recorded in one
Shizuoka town.
A 74-year-old newspaper delivery man on his rounds in Chiba was believed
to have been swept into a river and a man in his 60s was carried away by
rising floodwaters in Shizuoka, police and media reports said.
Several people were injured, including a man who broke both legs in a
fall from his roof while repairing it.
Television footage showed railway lines inundated by floodwaters and
cars bobbing in flooded streets in Shizuoka.
Ma-on, which means "horse saddle" in Cantonese, also forced the
postponement of qualifying for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix motor racing
event to the morning of the competition, an unprecedented move taken after
the storm disrupted practice on Friday at Suzuka, around 300 km west of
Tokyo.
The Grand Prix will be held as scheduled.

HORRIBLE SCREECHING SOUND
Meteorological officials said the storm, which triggered several
landslides in central Japan, but without reports of injuries or major
damage, was the most powerful to hit eastern Japan in a decade.
"There was a horrible screeching sound of metal being twisted," one
woman whose house was damaged in a mudslide told NHK. "I can't believe this
has happened."
Previously classified as a maximum category 5 typhoon on an
international scale of 1 to 5, Ma-on weakened as it neared Japan, but was
still packing winds at its centre of up to 144 km (89 miles) an hour.
Since the approach of the storm was likely to coincide with high tide,
forecasters also warned of possible tidal surges.
Storms and floods have killed at least 72 people in Japan this year and
caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. The most recent, Meari,
killed 27 last week when it raked the archipelago with torrential rain,
setting off landslides.
Experts say Japan has suffered from an unusual number of storms due to
warmer offshore waters and weaker than normal Pacific high pressure areas.

"Brendan DJ Murphy" wrote in message
...

snip

Formula One officials took the unprecedented step of postponing
qualifying to the morning of the race

Not that unprecedented, from AtlasF1 :-

"The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix at Japan's Aida circuit was rescheduled from
April to October after an earthquake hit the region. Ten years before that,
the June 1985 Belgian Grand Prix was called off the night before the event
after drivers protested about the dangerous condition of the disintegrating
track surface. It was rescheduled and held in September."

Jon.

"Jon O'Rourke" wrote here on 09 Oct 2004:

"Brendan DJ Murphy" wrote in message
...

snip

Formula One officials took the unprecedented step of
postponing
qualifying to the morning of the race

Not that unprecedented, from AtlasF1
snip

No, but I don't remember qualifying and race being held on the same
day before. I think that is indeed unprecedented, though I'll stand
corrected if necessary.

Certainly Grands Prix have been run in weather conditions that were
really not safe for racing - for example, the 1991 Australian GP. The
start was delayed because of the weather, but the race did get
underway. However, the rain was so bad that there were crashes all
over the place, and the race was called off after only 14 laps:

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr516.html

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"David Buttery" wrote in message
Snip

No, but I don't remember qualifying and race being held on the same
day before. I think that is indeed unprecedented, though I'll stand
corrected if necessary.

You're right, David. My comment was misleading in that respect.

Jon.


Jon.


Certainly Grands Prix have been run in weather conditions that were
really not safe for racing - for example, the 1991 Australian GP. The
start was delayed because of the weather, but the race did get
underway. However, the rain was so bad that there were crashes all
over the place, and the race was called off after only 14 laps:

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr516.html

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