2023-05-31 08:18:01
NAHA, Japan (AP) — Typhoon Mawar appeared to be losing strength Wednesday as it moved toward Japan’s Okinawa Islands, where the United States maintains a significant military presence, after skirting Taiwan and the Philippines.
After battering Guam last week, Mawar passed Taiwan on Tuesday with sustained winds of 96 mph (155 km/h) gusting to 118 mph (190 km/h), sending strong swells along the eastern coast. .
In the Philippines, authorities said heavy rains are expected to continue in the north through at least Thursday and warned of possible flooding, landslides and hurricane-force winds before the storm leaves areas under the country’s responsibility.
As it moves toward Okinawa, Philippine weather authorities said Mawar lost power and its sustained winds were now reaching 75 mph (120 km/h), gusting to 93 mph (150 km/h).
The storm is expected to gradually pick up speed but continue to weaken and may already be at tropical storm status by the time it hits the area on Friday, Philippine forecasters added.
Residents of the Sakishima Islands, an archipelago in southern Japan where those of Okinawa are located, were already preparing for the arrival of the typhoon.
The US military, which has about 20,000 troops at various installations on Okinawa, will take preventive measures as the storm approaches on an as-needed basis, Capt. Brett Dornhege-Lazaroff, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force said in Okinawa.
At the moment, it appears that Mawar will not make landfall on the main island of Okinawa, where the capital Naha and most of Washington’s forces are, according to the Japanese weather agency.
Mawar last week became the strongest typhoon to hit Guam, the US Pacific territory, in more than two decades, toppling cars, ripping off roofs and knocking out power.
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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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