Channel 4 News Menu
8 Jul 2014

Typhoon Neoguri – as seen from space

Breathtaking images captured by satellites and tweeted by astronauts show the devastating size of Typhoon Neoguri – which hit the Japanese coast on Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been advised to evacuate their homes as the storm – which brings with it sustained winds of 120 miles per hour and gusts of 148 miles per hour – reached Japan.

Having affected the island of Okinawa, Typhoon Neoguri is now heading for the Japanese mainland and is expected to arrive later on Wednesday local time, writes Channel 4 News Weather Presenter Liam Dutton.

Although it will weaken during its journey across the East China sea, due to encountering cooler ocean waters, it'll still pack a punch when it reaches Kyushu. 

The latest forecast from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center has Neoguri reaching Kyushu with sustained winds of 85mph, with gusts of around 105mph - equvialent to a category one hurricane.

Although the strength of the wind will likely cause some disruption, the main concern for Japan will be the amount of rain that is expected to fall. 

As the remnants of the tropical moisture are forced up over the country's mountainous terrain, as much as 100-150mm could fall in places, which will bring the risk of flash flooding and landslides. 

The north west Pacific, the typhoon season runs between June and November, with a peak in September, although it isn't unusual to have an occasional storm outside of this time period.

Astronauts on the International Space Station have also captured and tweeted the phenomenon from space, as seen below. Check out the Channel 4 News Twitter list of tweets from space.

The storm has been at its most powerful through Okinawa, though the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of heavy rains and potential flooding in Kyushu, the westernmost of Japan’s main islands, as well as heavy rain in the rest of the nation as the storm turns east later in the week.