Tropical storm to bring rain, wind, waves to northeast Japan

Tokyo Olympics (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Tokyo Olympics (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A tropical storm heading toward northeastern Japan is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds and high waves to the Tokyo region and has already affected some Olympics events.

The Japan Meteorological Agency predicted Nepartak would bring stormy weather and high waves to northeastern Japan in advance of its landfall around midday Wednesday north of the capital region.

The tropical storm had winds of 72 kilometers per hour (44.7 mph) around midday Tuesday off Chiba on Japan's central-eastern coast and is moving slowly north-northwest the agency said. It forecast the storm would maintain its current strength through the day but would weaken before making landfall around midday Wednesday near the city of Akita, about 570 kilometers (340 miles) northeast of Tokyo.

Storm and high wave warnings were issued for Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

The tropical storm has affected some Olympic competitions, and some surfing events planned for Wednesday were moved to Tuesday.