Typhoon Songda

Pre-Landfall 1 | Summary
Posting Date: September 8, 2004, 9:00:00 AM

Typhoon Songda, the seventh typhoon to hit Japan this year, struck the Japanese islands of Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu on Tuesday as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 100 mph (140 kph) and gusts recorded as high as 130 mph (210 kph). Songda weakened over land, crossed the Sea of Japan, and struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Wednesday as a tropical depression. Songda’s powerful winds and torrential rain caused landslides and floods, resulting in the deaths of 28 people and injuries to more than 900 others, according to local sources. More than 1.6 million households lost power as a result of the storm, most in the southern prefectures where Songda hit with the greatest intensity. The outlying southern islands of Okinawa and Kagoshima were inundated with nearly 8 inches (200 mm) of rain according the Japan Meteorological Agency. Transportation in the region was hampered as more than 200 flights were cancelled and train and ferry services were suspended. At least six oil refineries throughout Japan were forced to suspend operations. The Japanese farm and fishing industries were particularly hard hit according to government officials. Songda is expected to diminish in intensity over the next 24 hours as it accelerates to the north, transitioning to an extratropical low. The AIR tropical cyclone modeling team is running scenarios and will update ALERT™ if necessary.

Pre-Landfall 1 | Downloads
Posting Date: September 8, 2004, 9:00:00 AM