The storm forecast bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said that at 3:00 a.m. on August 23, the center of typhoon Shanshan was at about 16.6 degrees north latitude, 141.6 degrees east longitude, about 2,135 km from Central Luzon. Maximum winds near the center of the storm are nearly 100 km/h, gusting up to 125 km/h. Central pressure: 990 hPa.
Shanshan is expected to rapidly strengthen over the next 24 hours and could become a typhoon today, August 23.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) forecast also shows that Shanshan will become a typhoon as early as August 23 or 24. Proposed conditions will further boost the storm's strength.
Shanshan is likely to be a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Category 5 hurricane scale or a super typhoon when it hits southern Japan on the morning of August 25. The center pressure of the storm is expected to be around 980 hPa. The exact time and location of the landfall are still unclear, but southern Japan is expected to see the strongest storm.
Meteorologist Mike Ventrice posted a map predicting the path of Shanshan on X with the caption: "pray for Japan".
Shanshan appeared shortly after Japan was hit by Typhoon Ampil, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, and hundreds of flights and trains to be canceled.
Tokyo and other parts of eastern Japan have been hit by strong winds of up to 202 mph in some areas.
Although the impact on Tokyo was not as serious as initially feared, there were reports of minor damage and injuries.
Japanese media reported that 90,000 tourists were affected by the tour cancellation due to the storm.
Japan Central Railway has cancelled all high-speed train services between Tokyo and Nagoya on August 16.
Yamato Transport, which is responsible for delivering goods to Amazon and other companies in Japan, has suspended all delivery services in Tokyo and areas near the capital.
