Typhoon dumps rain on Japan

TOKYO – One of the biggest and strongest typhoons to hit during Japan’s summer months churned past Okinawa toward the country’s main islands today, weakening slightly but dumping torrential rains in its wake.

Forecasts for unusually heavy rains prompted a fresh emergency warning, as workers scrambled to clear drains and roads to minimize damage in Okinawa from the typhoon, which left 20 people injured, one seriously.

The Japan Meteorological Agency was forecasting that parts of Shikoku, in western Japan, could receive the equivalent of three months of the normal amount of rainfall in just two days as the storm passes, if it remains on its current trajectory.

Typhoon Neoguri was packing sustained winds of 80 miles per hour and gusts up to 114 mph this morning.

Japan is relatively well prepared for typhoons, but heavy downpours could cause landslides and flooding if the typhoon moves across the Japanese archipelago as expectedon Thursday or Friday.