At least one elderly
man was killed and several other people were injured as strong winds swept across the nation Tuesday, and
the Meteorological Agency called for continued vigilance in northern regions Wednesday.
Although details
were not immediately available, more injuries were reported mainly from
western prefectures. The Meteorological Agency warned people in other
regions, including commuters in
Tokyo, to brace for gusts and possible disruptions of
public transportation. The winds disrupted
operations of airplanes and trains, including shinkansen, mainly in western
Japan in the morning.
The Meteorological
Agency said an active low pressure system and fronts were likely to bring strong winds to northern and north-eastern
Japan from later Tuesday to Wednesday.
Japan Airlines said
it cancelled 160 flights that included almost all of those leaving or
arriving at Tokyo's Haneda airport from 3 p.m. onward. All Nippon Airways
said it cancelled 83 flights, including those linking Haneda with Kansai and
Osaka airports.
Services on the
Sanyo Shinkansen Line linking Osaka with Fukuoka ran about 30 minutes behind
schedule due to strong winds Tuesday morning, West Japan Railway Co. said.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Swept
(v) - to force someone or something to move in a particular direction
2.
Vigilance
(n) - careful attention that you give to what is happening, so that you will
notice any danger
3.
Commuters
(n) - someone who travels a long distance to work every day
4.
Brace
(v) - to mentally or physically prepare yourself or someone else for something
unpleasant that is going to happen
5.
Gusts
(n) - a sudden strong movement of wind, air, rain etc
6.
Disrupted
(v) - to prevent something from continuing in its usual way by causing
problems
7.
Fronts
(n) - the place where two areas of air of different temperatures meet, often
shown as a line on weather maps
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
Are there many rainstorms in Japan?
2.
When is the rainy season in Japan?
3.
Discuss about weather forecast system in your
country.
4.
What should you do in case of big typhoon?
5.
Tell us about your unforgettable typhoon
experience.
