Overview
- As of Friday, June 26, Typhoon Mekkhala was moving past the southern Ryukyu and Amami islands while Tropical Storm Higos tracked northward, and forecasters say the two systems could interact or merge.
- Authorities issued evacuation orders for more than 2 million people across multiple prefectures and raised high-level landslide alerts after heavy rain already caused landslides in Kagoshima and record June totals in parts of western Japan.
- Transport and industry were widely disrupted, with over 200 flights canceled, many train services suspended or warned of delays including possible Tokaido Shinkansen suspension, and some auto plants pausing production.
- Taiwan felt Mekkhala’s outer bands with torrential rain that closed schools and offices, cut a main rail section and prompted nearly 200 people to be evacuated downstream of a rapidly filling barrier lake over breach concerns.
- The stalled seasonal rain front is amplifying rainfall risk, forecasters say short-term totals could reach as much as 300 mm in pockets and officials urge residents to follow local evacuation orders and monitor updates because storm tracks could change quickly.