Just as the long-awaited Tokyo Olympics is underway, in addition to COVID obstacles, a weather threat may throw another wrench into the Summer Games.
Tropical Storm Nepartak, which formed Friday night over the western Pacific Ocean, southeast of Japan, may arrive at the shores of mainland Japan by Tuesday with Tokyo in the forecast cone, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Maximum winds of 40 mph are expected when the storm reaches the island nation.
The storm may bring “hazardous phenomena such as heavy rain, strong winds and high waves,” according to forecasts by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
There is still a lot of uncertainty about the storm’s path and intensity, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
Organizers have preemptively shifted the rowing schedule as the Olympics braces for the storm, Reuters reported. Monday’s rowing races have been moved to Sunday due to inclement weather forecasts, the World Rowing Executive Committee said on Friday, according to the news outlet.
