TOKYO, Japan (Update 2, 1:39 p.m.) — Powerful Typhoon Hagibis on Saturday claimed its first victim even before making landfall, as potentially record-breaking rains and high winds sparked evacuation orders for more than 1.6 million people. Hagibis is an unusually large storm, expected to bring "brutal winds and violent seas" to large swathes of the country, the weather agency said. It has issued warnings for strong winds, high waves, landslides and serious flooding for large areas of Honshu. The region was badly hit by another powerful typhoon in September. Hagibis is bearing down on the region just weeks after another powerful storm, Typhoon Faxai, hit the area with similar strength, killing two and causing major damage in Chiba.

Source: Philippine Star October 12, 2019 02:15 UTC