Typhoon Sinlaku strikes islands

Typhoon Sinlaku struck the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku in southern Japan on 19 September 2008. As of 0900 UTC, Sinlaku was located approximately 270 mi/435 km southwest of Tokyo and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph/65 kt. Although meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies have forecast that Sinlaku could weaken over the next several days due to its interaction with land, the storm is expected to lash the coast of Japan and hit Tokyo within the next 24 hours. Reports indicate that the storm's central eye narrowly missed making landfall on the island of Kyushu. Airline officials at Japan Airways and All Nippon Airways stated that they were forced to cancel several flights to southern Japan because of the storm. Officials have put coastal areas of Honshu and Shikoku on alert and stated that landslides are possible in the Osaka area.