TYPHOON Hagibis is currently a whopping Category 5 storm and fast approaching Japan. It has already disrupted the Rugby World Cup with England’s showdown with France being cancelled. Here’s the latest on where it is and it’s current path. What is the latest update on Typhoon Hagibis? Typhoon Hagibis was dramatically described as the “most […]
TYPHOON Hagibis is currently a whopping Category 5 storm and fast approaching Japan.
It has already disrupted the Rugby World Cup with England’s showdown with France being cancelled. Here’s the latest on where it is and it’s current path.
Typhoon Hagibis was dramatically described as the “most powerful storm in the world” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US.
Typhoon Hagibis is currently creating powerful 190mph winds in the Pacific Ocean and is due to hit Japan later this week.
While the storm is expected to weaken by the time it hits Japan with wind speeds of around 160mph it will still be seen as a “violent storm” and Japan has been put on alert.
It’s expected to turn north west and hit Japan over the weekend as well as bringing prolonged rain, high seas and storm surge.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a pre-warning about Typhoon Hagibis on October 9.
It said Hagibis was due to hit the country’s east coast on October 12 or 13.
It warned it was likely to strike with a similar force to Typhoon Faxai which hit last month.
Typhoon Faxai killed one woman and injured a further 30 people when it made landfall in Tokyo.
Rugby fans are worried that officials will be forced to cancel more matches as the storm continues to rage.
It is the first time matches were cancelled without a ball being kicked for the first time in 32 years.
Rugby World Cup organisers have taken the unusual step of cancelling England’s upcoming game against France in Yokohama on Saturday, October 12, in light of Typhoon Hagibis.
New Zealand’s match against Italy in Toyota City has also been cancelled.
The Scotland-Japan game is also at risk of being cancelled and is currently under review.
The Scottish Rugby Union has released a statement demanding the match be played under contingency plans.
Meteorologists have given the storm the highest possible rating of “violent” with the capability to cause widespread destruction.
World Cup tournament director Alan Gilpin stated that the governing body’s hand was forced by the danger posed.
Mr Gilpin said: “Based on this morning’s advice, Hagibis is predicted to be the biggest of 2019 and highly likely to cause disruption in the Yokohama, Tokyo and Toyota area, including public transport shutdown.
“As a result of this independent advice, we have taken the difficult and right decision in the affected areas.
“As you can imagine the decision has not been taken lightly and is in the best interest of safety as a priority.
“All fans will receive full refunds. We are continuing to review Sunday’s matches and making sure they are played as scheduled.
“Assessment will be made after the typhoon has passed. We are advising all fans in Toyota, Yokohama and Tokyo to stay inside on Saturday.
“We looked pretty exhaustively at all the options. Important to note is that where we are is in accordance with what we said we would do before the tournament.
“Moving teams round on this scale and being able to deliver safely the exit of 12 teams….we couldn’t guarantee contingency plans consistently. If we can’t do it for all, we can’t do it for any.”
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