Typhoon Roke Leaves 13 Dead In Japan

The eye of Typhoon Roke can be seen nearing the coast of Honshu Island on Wednesday morning.

Disaster-weary Japan took a direct hit from powerful Typhoon Roke less than a month after Typhoon Talas left 100 people dead or missing, and a little more than 6 months following the country’s catastrophic quake-tsunami-nuclear crisis.

At least 13 people were reported dead or missing from Roke’s Category 2 winds and torrential rainfall.

The storm packed sustained winds of up to 100 mph when it made landfall at midday on Wednesday near the city of Hamamatsu, about 125 miles west-southwest of Tokyo.

As much as 17 inches of rainfall drenched parts of the country during Roke's swift passage over Honshu Island.

Nissan, Toyota and other manufacturers closed for the day due to the stormy conditions.

Rush hour commuter rain service was suspended around the capital due to the storm, leaving many residents stuck at stations or offices, bars and restaurants.

Roke had weakened to tropical storm force when it later passed almost directly over the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Operators said that other than a few broken security cameras, there was no significant damage at the facility.

Typhoon Roke Track

Satellite Loop Data: CIMSS