Typhoon Noru to threaten Japan and South Korea with flooding, damaging winds

By Eric Leister, AccuWeather meteorologist

August 1,2017, 10:53:55AM,EDT

 Typhoon Noru will approach southern Japan this weekend before turning northward and threatening South Korea early next week.

While the exact track remains unclear, impacts to southern Japan, the northern Ryukyu Islands and South Korea appear likely.
Noru has already been on a long journey across the west Pacific, forming on July 20 then reaching super typhoon status and becoming the strongest tropical cyclone on the planet so far this year on July 30.

Despite weakening from its peak strength, residents and visitors to southern Japan and South Korea should be on high alert for impacts from Noru as early as Saturday.
Noru remains the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic and east Pacific with sustained winds near 105 mph (170 km/h).
As Noru tracks northwestward in the coming days, it will enter an area of high water temperatures and low wind shear which will provide another opportunity for strengthening.
“It is not out of the question that Noru approaches or reaches super typhoon status once again during this time,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty.
Noru is expected to approach the northern Ryukyu Islands and Kyushu on Saturday bringing heavy rain and damaging winds along its path.
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The storm will likely track far enough south to prevent landfall in Kyushu this weekend while also limiting any weakening of the cyclone.
Continuing on a west to northwest track will take the powerful cyclone into the East China Sea early next week.
A separate storm system over northeastern China will then act to pull Noru northward bringing the worst impacts toward South Korea.
South Korea will be at highest risk for damaging winds and flooding on Monday and Tuesday.
From there, Noru would likely track into northeastern China and neighboring parts of Russia where several days of heavy rain would occur before the storm fully dissipates.