Typhoon Melor on path towards Japan

October 6, 2009

Typhoon Melor, a tropical cyclone in the Pacific, has weakened somewhat over the past few days, but is still a powerful and dangerous storm as it tracks towards Japan. Forecasters say the cyclone will strike the islands of Okinawa before making landfall near Tokyo on Thursday.

The storm is among a series of damaging typhoons that have formed in the Western Pacific over the past few weeks, including Ketsana, which caused devastating flooding in the Philippines.

"Minami Daito is expected to be hit by violent winds and rough seas with a sea swell of more than nine metres [30 feet] from late Tuesday to Wednesday noon," a forecaster said. After that, the storm could strike Honshu on a path similar to that of a typhoon in 1959 which killed thousands of people.

Although Melor is unlikely to cause such destruction, residents are still preparing for strong winds and heavy rain as the typhoon closes in.