Hagibis has slammed into Japan, killing at least 30 people and triggering landslides and floods. Several people have been reported missing, while hundreds of thousands of homes were without power.
Image: Reuters/Kyodo
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Local media have reported at least 30 people dead, at least another 16 missing, and more than 170 injured on Sunday after Typhoon Hagibis tore across Japan. The government has put the death toll at 14.
The storm — one of the most powerful tropical cyclones to ever hit the country — unleashed heavy rain and winds, paralyzing the capital, Tokyo, and prompting authorities to issue noncompulsory evacuation orders to more than 6 million people.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that around 120 people had suffered injuries, while more than a dozen remained unaccounted for. Initially, almost half a million homes lost power and by late afternoon local time on Sunday, almost 200,000 remained in this predicament.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered condolences to the families of those who died and said the government was working to save lives.
"The government will do everything in its power to cooperate with relevant agencies to restore services as soon as possible," Abe said.
Dangerously heavy rain caused landslides and flooding in some areasImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Kyodo
Rescue efforts underway
Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said 27,000 troops and other emergency crews had been deployed to rescue those stranded in flood-hit areas. Military helicopters were also involved in search efforts.
"The major typhoon has caused immense damage far and wide in eastern Japan," Suga said.
A rescue worker searches for survivors in a flooded residential neighborhood Image: Reuters//Kim Kyung-Hoon
At its peak, the typhoon caused widespread chaos in and around Tokyo, forcing the suspension of train services and the cancellation of more than a thousand flights.
Wind gusts of up to 216 kilometers per hour (134 miles per hour) lashed parts of the country, while unrelenting rainfall caused several rivers to break their banks.
Hagibis, which means "speed" in Filipino, made landfall southwest of Tokyo at around 7 p.m. local time (1000 UTC) on Saturday. It was expected to weaken and move out to sea late Sunday.
It comes just weeks after another powerful storm, Typhoon Faxai, resulted in two deaths and dozens of injuries in the city of Chiba.
Japan is battered by approximately 20 typhoons per year, but it is rare for Tokyo to be affected.
The Japanese government has said that Hagibis could be the worst storm to hit the capital since 1958, when a typhoon resulted in more than 1,000 deaths and flooded 500,000 homes.
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
Image: AFP/A. Beronio
Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
