Mammoth Typhoon Closes in on East Asia

A mammoth typhoon has closed in on Japan, heaving dangerous winds to the country with the threat of major flooding and mudslides.

Making landfill early Monday along Japan's southern coast near Minamiizu, CNN reports that Typhoon Lan is rapidly moving to the northeast 37 mph.

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Although it is said to be weakening, Tokyo is expected to be hit with possibly damaging winds and heavy rains due to the typhoon. Numerous parts of Japan have already recorded rainfall totals greater than 500 millimeters in the past 72 hours, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Lan was classified as a huge Category 4 storm by the Tropical Storm Risk monitoring site, with more than 20,000 households Japan evacuated.

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It could be downgraded from its current Category 4 status, but will still pound Japan with heavy rain and rough winds.

Shingu, a city in the Wakayama Prefecture southwest of Tokyo, recorded more than 850 millimeters of rain over the past 72 hours — their greatest rainfall total in such a period since the city received 425 millimeters in 2000.

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