Typhoon Phanfone is on course to make landfall on the Japanese mainland Sunday bringing high-speed winds and rain, meteorologists said. Winds of up to 101 miles per hour were felt as early as Saturday afternoon in the country's southwestern islands. The massive storm is projected to curve rapidly northeast through Monday, hitting major cities such as Tokyo later Sunday, The Weather Channel reported.
Phanfone was briefly categorized as a Super Typhoon on Saturday before it was downgraded. But it's still expected to pack a punch hitting other major cities, including Kyoto and Osaka. Along with Tokyo, the three cities have a combined population of 85 million people. Despite the potential for hazardous conditions from Phanfone, major events such as the Japanese Grand Prix were set to continue without delay Sunday. The U.S. Embassy in Japan has warned citizens traveling to or residing in Japan to be cautions of the storm, although there were no immediate reports of evacuations.
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