Typhoon Shanshan weakens to tropical storm over Japan, but 3 deaths confirmed as it churns slowly north

Tokyo — A powerful storm lashed southern Japan with torrential rain and strong winds Thursday, causing at least three deaths as it started a crawl up the length of the archipelago and raised concerns of flooding, landslides and extensive damage. Tropical storm Shanshan made landfall Thursday morning as a powerful typhoon on the southern island of Kyushu and then gradually lost strength, though it was still forecast to bring strong winds, high waves and significant rainfall to most of the country, particularly on Kyushu.

Three people were killed and one was left missing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Thursday, adding that two other people were severely injured because of the typhoon.

Nearly 2 feet of rain fell in parts of Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu, swelling rivers and threatening floods, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. That 24-hour total was more than the average rainfall for all of August, it said.

By late afternoon Thursday, the storm was moving north at 9 mph and its winds had weakened to 67 mph. It is “no longer a powerful typhoon,” the agency said.

CBS News senior weather producer David Parkinson said that while the storm was expected to continue weakening, the fact that it had “slowed to the speed of a brisk walk” meant it was likely to still bring torrential downpours to Kyushu, with the potential for 2-3 feet of rain to fall in some places on the island.

Shanshan ripped through downtown Miyazaki city, knocking down trees, throwing cars to the side in parking lots and shattering windows of some buildings. The prefectural disaster management task force said 40 buildings were damaged.

NHK public television showed a swollen river in the popular hot spring town of Yufu in Oita prefecture, just north of Miyazaki, with muddy water splashing against a bridge.

At least 50 people were injured across Kyushu, about half of them in Miyazaki. Some were injured by being thrown to the ground by the storm on their way to shelters, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

Nearly a quarter of a million households were without power across Kyushu, most of them in Kagoshima prefecture, Kyushu Electric Power Co. said.

About 20,000 people took shelter at municipal community centers, school gymnasiums and other facilities across Kyushu, according to prefectural reports.

Ahead of the storm’s arrival, heavy rain triggered a landslide that buried a house in the central city of Gamagori, killing three residents and injuring two others, the city’s disaster management department said. 

On the southern island of Amami, which Shanshan passed, one person was injured by being knocked down by a wind gust while riding a motorcycle, the fire agency said.

Weather and government officials are concerned about extensive damage as the storm slowly sweeps up the Japanese archipelago to the northeast over the next few days, threatening more floods and landslides. The storm’s impact was yet to be felt in the Tokyo region, where business continued as usual and heavy rain was predicted later this week.

Disaster Management Minister Yoshifumi Matsumura said Shanshan could cause “unprecedented” levels of violent winds, high waves, storm surges and heavy rain. At a task force meeting on Wednesday, he urged people, especially older adults, not to hesitate and take shelter whenever there is any safety concern.

Hundreds of domestic flights connecting southwestern cities and islands were canceled Thursday, and bullet trains and some local train services were suspended. Similar steps were taken in parts of the main island of Honshu that were experiencing heavy rain. Postal and delivery services were suspended in the Kyushu region, and supermarkets and other stores planned to close.