TOKYO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Bavi, a very large and violent tropical cyclone, could approach Japan's southern island prefecture of Okinawa with strong intensity later this week, the country's weather agency said Tuesday.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), as of 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the season's ninth typhoon was moving westward near the Mariana Islands in the Pacific at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour (kph), packing gusts of up to 270 kph, and had an atmospheric pressure of 920 hectopascals at its center.
The typhoon is expected to change course toward the north and may approach Okinawa with very strong intensity around Friday and Saturday. The JMA urged the public to stay updated with the latest forecasts and weather warnings.
As Bavi draws closer, seas around Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture are expected to turn very rough from around Thursday, and Okinawa may see severe weather and warning-level torrential rainfall from around Friday. Depending on the typhoon's track, rough seas could also develop off the southern part of Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu. ■