Thankfully, this powerfully cyclone is not predicted to make a direct hit on Kumamoto; the eye of the storm is projected to pass to the east of Kyushu. Still, it is very powerful and likely to bring us a lot of rain and some strong winds. The storm is a category 2 now but TropicalStormRisk.com predicts that it will reach its peak strength of category 4 by tomorrow evening.
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com
As you can see from the satellite image, it’s a very big system with a clear eye, even though it is not yet at peak strength.
It is predicted to be closest to Kumamoto on Sunday. I heard on the news that parts of Amakusa will hold their elections tomorrow (Saturday), a day early, to insure that the storm does not prevent them from delivering ballots on time.
– Kirk
http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/gms/index.html?area=0&element=0&time=201710202030