England’s final World Cup group match against France and Formula 1 qualifying could both be affected by the powerful typhoon that is due to hit Japan on Saturday after it changed course.
BBC weather presenter Simon King says Typhoon Hagibis is now expected to hit further north, on the island of Honshu.
Ireland’s game with Samoa on Saturday in Fukuoka on the southern island of Kyushu is expected to be spared.
But Scotland v Japan in Yokohoma and the F1 race on Sunday could be hit.
Honshu, Japan’s main island, is home to both Yokohoma and the Suzuka F1 circuit.
On Monday the forecast had predicted the typhoonwould hit Kyushu.
World Rugby insists it has a “robust contingency plan in place” should the adverse weather impact tournament fixtures.
However, any games cancelled at the World Cup because of the weather are registered as scoreless draws.
Scotland need to beat Japan to stand any chance of reaching the last eight, while a victory sends Ireland into the last eight.
England are already through to the quarter-finals and will top the group with victory over France.
Analysis
BBC Weather Simon King
With October being in the typhoon season in Japan, the forecast for a typhoon to hit the island this weekend won’t come as a great surprise. However, with the eyes of the world currently on Japan with thousands of tourists traveling around the country for the rugby World Cup and the Japanese Grand Prix, the thought of an incoming typhoon maybe rather worrying.
On Monday, typhoon Hagibis underwent rapid intensification – one of the quickest in the record book – to become a violent Typhoon, equivalent of a category 5 hurricane. It is one of the most powerful tropical cyclones this year joining the likes of hurricane Dorian and Lorenzo.
It’s a huge storm covering hundreds of kilometers away from its center with sustained wind speeds on Tuesday morning of 120 mph and gusts up to 170 mph. Over the coming days Hagibis will start to weaken but according to the Joint Typhoon Warning center its predicted track is north towards the south coast of Japan. While the forecast track can still change, the Japanese Meteorological Service expect Hagibis to be categorized as a ‘very strong’ typhoon at landfall in Honshu on Saturday.
The impacts of Hagibis will be felt over a large area of Japan with strong winds and flooding rain expected. There’s an increasing likelihood of some damage and certainly travel disruption as authorities prepare for the arrival of the typhoon.
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