TOKYO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Wide swathes of Japan continued to be lashed by heavy rainfall and strong winds Friday evening as Typhoon Krosa heads northeast over the Sea of Japan towards the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
Typhoon Krosa, which has since been downgraded to a tropical low pressure system, has left three people dead and dozens injured as it tore through western Japan the previous day, officials said.
The typhoon left 1,700 passengers stranded at Kansai airport in Osaka, where 232 domestic and international flights were canceled due to the severity of the storm.
In Gifu city, four 20-person capacity tourist boats on the Nagara river were washed away or damaged, local media reported.
All tours were canceled on Friday as the river overflowed due to torrential rain falling upstream.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that as of 6:00 p.m. local time Friday, Krosa was moving northeast at a speed of 35 kph around 230 km west of Okushiri Island in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
The 10th typhoon of the season had an atmospheric pressure of 980 hectopascals at its center and was packing winds of up to 126 km per hour, the agency said.
Along with torrential downpours, the storm also caused the mercury to skyrocket in a weather phenomenon known as foehn winds.
This is caused by moist air becoming warm and dry as it passes over a mountain and is funneled down the mountain's lee side.
In addition to the torrential rains, many areas experienced extreme heat, with Nikaho in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, seeing temperatures hit 36.5 degrees Celsius.
The JMA has said rainfall of 200 mm is expected in Hokkaido in the 24 hours through 6:00 p.m. local time Saturday.
Hokkaido is also expected to see gusts of 126 kph, the agency said, while the Tohoku region will see gusts of up to 108 kph.
