The projected course of Typhoon Mindulle as of midday on Sept. 29, 2021 is seen in this image from the Japan Meteorological Agency website.

       TOKYO -- Powerful Typhoon Mindulle, now south of Japan, is moving northward and is expected to head northeast from Sept. 30, approaching the Izu Islands south of Tokyo with intense force on Oct. 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

       As of 9 a.m. on Sept. 29, the typhoon, the 16th to form this year, was heading north at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour. It had a central atmospheric pressure of 935 hectopascals, with a maximum sustained wind speed near its center of 50 meters per second (180 kilometers per hour), with gusts of up to 70 m/s (252 kph). Wind speeds of 25 m/s (90 kph) or more were expected within 185 km of the typhoon's center.

       The typhoon, categorized as large, is expected to bring rough seas around the Pacific side of Japan until around Oct. 2, and become an extratropical cyclone by Oct. 3. Up until Sept. 30, waves of up to 8 meters were expected near the Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo, 7 meters near Okinawa, and 6 meters near the Amami Islands northeast of Okinawa, the Kinki region in western Japan and the Tokai region of central Japan. The following day, waves are expected top 9 meters around the Izu Islands, and reach 6-8 meters around the Kinki and Tokai regions, the Ogasawara Islands, the Kanto region in eastern Japan and the Tohoku region of northeast Japan, the agency said.

       Sustained wind speeds as high as 30 to 40 m/s (108 to 144 kph) with gusts of 40 to 60 m/s (144 to 216 kph) expected to strike the Izu Islands on Oct. 1, while the Tokai and Kanto regions could see winds of 25 to 29 m/s (90 to 104.4 kph) with gusts of 35 to 45 m/s (126 to 162 kph), according to the agency.

       Rain is expected to increase around the Izu Islands from Sept. 30, and heavy rain could lash Japan's Pacific coast the following day. Between 200 and 300 millimeters of rain is expected in the Izu Islands over the 24 hours through 6 a.m. on Oct. 1, with heavy rain later expected over a wider area. The JMA is warning people to be on their guard against landslides and river flooding.

       (Japanese original by Hiroshi Endo, Tokyo City News Department)

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