TOKYO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Hinnamnor is approaching Okinawa, Japan's weather agency said Friday, with the country's southernmost prefecture bracing for torrential downpours, gale-force winds and rough seas through the weekend.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said Hinnamnor, the 11th typhoon of the season, is expected to pack winds of up 108 kph near Okinawa's main island on Saturday before gathering force.

From Sunday, Hinnamnor is forecast to move towards the Kyushu region, bringing stormy weather to the country's southwest on Tuesday.

The agency also reiterated that a weather front hitting moist air is leading to very unstable atmospheric conditions in wide regions of western and eastern Japan and has warned of possible landslides, tornadoes, flooding and lightning strikes.

Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan has already been battered by torrential rain, leading to the JMA issuing a level 5 alert, the highest on Japan's disaster warning, for 409,000 people of more than 172,000 households in the vicinity of a flooded river in Hamamatsu City.

Local officials have told those in the affected region to take shelter on the second floor of their houses, or higher, if possible, or to find shelter in tall buildings.

They have also been told to remain vigilant for landslides that often occur when terrain on hills becomes unstable after being inundated. Enditem

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