Tropical Storm Nepartak was sitting off the eastern coast of Japan on Monday night and is expected to make landfall on Honshu, the largest island, on Tuesday night local time.
The storm could impact the Olympic Games as it brings up to 150 mm (5.9 inches) of rain to some regions over the next few days.
Sustained winds at 74 kph (46 mph) and gusts up to 92 kph (57 mph) have been recorded with the storm. Nepartak is forecast to weaken slightly to 65 kph (40 mph) sustained winds prior to landfall. The storm is currently being categorized as sub-tropical, meaning the strongest winds won’t be just consolidated near the center of the storm, but rather can extend farther out from the center.
Dry air wrapping around the storm is cutting it off from monsoonal moisture to the east, and most of the convection is on the western and southern sides of the storm.
The tropical storm is currently tracking west-northwestward at 35 kph (22 mph) according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tuesday morning local time in Japan, Nepartak will take a northward turn, heading toward the city of Sendai in the northern part of Honshu island.
Although the storm is expected to make landfall near Ishinomaki on Tuesday evening, areas as far south as Osaka could see up to 25 millimeters (1 inch) of rain.
Tokyo is also forecast to see up to 25 millimeters (1 inch) of rainfall in some areas through Wednesday, along with gusty tropical storm force winds, which could put a damper on outdoor Olympic activities.
Rowing events at the Sea Forest Waterway scheduled for Tuesday have been moved to Wednesday and Thursday due to the approaching storm.
On the bright side, Nepartak could provide much-needed relief from sweltering heat the Games are enduring this year.
The hot conditions continue to impact events, with tennis players given extra recovery time between games and sets due to the extreme heat.
On Saturday, temperatures climbed to nearly 34°C (93°F) across the greater Tokyo region, with “oppressive” humidity levels above 80%.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic described the humidity as “brutal” after beating Bolivian Hugo Dellien 6-2 6-2 in the men’s tennis singles first round, while Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev resorted to using a mobile air conditioner to keep himself cool.
Cloud coverage and rainfall brought by Nepartak will provide Tokyo with slightly cooler temperatures around 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Tennis is scheduled to continue through the week and could see impacts from Nepartak on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The cooldown will be brief before sunshine and hot temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) return by the end of the week.
After interacting with Japan, Nepartak will make its way over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, and continue to weaken before dissipating late in the week as it moves over cooler water.
