Typhoon Phanfone is intensifying in the Pacific Ocean, possibly to super typhoon status, as it travels along a projected path that shows the storm making a direct hit on Japan's Ryukyu Islands this weekend before continuing on to mainland Japan early next week.

According to a report from AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski, concern is palpable among residents of Japan as the storm system continues to strengthen, threatening to put Japanese lives, homes and other property in harm's way.

Mashable.com reports that people living in Japan may have additional cause for worry over a "two-pronged threat," as some weather experts are predicting that another storm will follow on the same track as Phanfone less than a week after the typhoon makes landfall.

As Phanfone tracks toward the Ryukyu Islands, it will reportedly remain in an environment conducive for intensifying into a more powerful typhoon.

"By Sunday [local time], Phanfone will be producing destructive maximum sustained winds of 195 to 210 kilometers per hour (120 to 130 miles per hour) with gusts between 225 and 240 kilometers per hour (140 to 150 miles per hour), if it tracks through the Ryukyu Islands," AccuWeather meteorologist Rob Richards said.

The Weather Channel (TWC) reported that Phanfone is currently and will continue to be in a "favorable environment" of low wind shear and high temperatures on the ocean surface as it continues to track toward the northwest on its projected path to Japan.

These conditions will most likely allow the storm to rapidly strengthen into a powerful typhoon throughout this week and into the weekend.

"A cycle of rapid intensification is underway, given the favorable environmental conditions," TWC weather experts said. "As a result, the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts Phanfone to become the equivalent of a category 4 ... hurricane ... later this week."

According to Pydynowski, the current projected path of Phanfone puts southwestern Japan at greatest risk for torrential rain, destructive winds and an inundating storm surge. On a high note, while Tokyo will most likely escape the brunt of the storm it will still experience some of the rain and winds being forecast.

In addition to the high wind speeds and dangerous seas expected, weather experts are predicting that Phanfone will bring with it significant rains, totaling up to 10 inches in many areas and up to a foot along the path projected through the Ryukyu Islands.

According to TWC, some of the cities in the path of Phanfone are still reeling from Tropical Storm Nakri and Typhoon Halong that walloped the area in August.

In Kochi, Japan, over 61 inches of rainfall was recorded throughout the month, which broke weather records dating back to the 1800s. Japan's rural hamlet of Shigeto, located in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, was doused with over 94 inches of rain in August. This amount shattered the hamlet's previous records of all calendar months ever recorded in history.

Residents in these locales along with all other residents in the Ryukyu Islands and mainland Japan are urged to monitor closely the progress of Typhoon Phanfone as the storm's exact route and other aspects and impacts are continually updated by weather experts and authorities.

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