Weakening In-Fa to bring heavy rain to China as new storm could affect Tokyo Olympics

And behind In-fa, there is a growing tropical threat from newly named Tropical Storm Nepartak for northern and central parts of Japan, which could potentially impact the The typhoon warning center is expecting maximum sustained winds near the center of the storm to be at about 60 mph (95 kph), which is a strong tropical storm. However, the storm may still be at typhoon intensity due to some uncertainty still in the forecast.The greater concern is for flooding rains possible for highly populated areas of China.”Heavy rain will be the story with this as much of it on the Shanghai side of the storm and where most of the moisture is pushed onto shore,” says CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.”Rainfall up to 10 inches (250 millimeters) will be widespread with higher amounts up to 20+ inches (500+ millimeters) in isolated locations. Flooding will be a major concern from this.”Nepartak may affect the OlympicsOn the heels of Tropical Storm In-fa is Tropical Storm Nepartak, a new subtropical cyclone that formed Friday night over the western Pacific Ocean. It formed about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southeast of Japan, and currently has maximum sustained winds of 65 kph (40 mph) as of the 5 p.m. ET update, according to the typhoon warning center. The forecast track from the center brings the storm to mainland Japan by Tuesday, with Tokyo in the forecast cone.

Nepartak is classified as a subtropical cyclone and is expected to remain subtropical through its forecast period. This characteristic essentially means the strongest winds won’t be just consolidated near the center of the storm, but rather can extend farther out from the center. The storm is expected to strengthen over the coming days, reaching tropical storm intensity this weekend. By Sunday night, its winds are expected to peak at 85 kph (55 mph) before gradually weakening again. Nepartak is expected to affect parts of mainland Japan by Tuesday, including the Tokyo area where the Olympics are taking place. Maximum winds are expected to be around 65 kph (40 mph) when it reaches Japan.There remains a high amount of uncertainty with the forecast by early next week, the center notes in its discussion, in terms of where it affects Japan and the strength of its winds.