Typhoon Melor hit the coast of Tatsugo town, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan

This October 5, 2009 NASA satellite image shows Typhoon Melor over the Pacific Ocean. Asia-Pacific nations, reeling from a series of deadly natural disasters, appeared to have been spared the latest typhoon heading into the area, forecasters said. Typhoon Melor was listed at "near Super Typhoon intensity" as it raced towards Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands but veered away before reaching land, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said


Big waves caused by Typhoon Melor hit the coast of Tatsugo town, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009. The strong typhoon with sustained winds of about 100 miles per hour (160 kph) is likely headed for Japan's main island, the country's Meteorological Agency said Wednesday.