After meandering southeast of Okinawa for several days Typhoon Lionrock started moving northeast toward Japan on Friday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Typhoon Lionrock was located at latitude 23.7°N and longitude 133.0°E which put it about 920 miles (1485 km) south-southwest of Tokyo, Japan.  Lionrockk was moving toward the northeast at 6 m.p.h. (10 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (170 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 953 mb.

Typhoon Lionrock is very well organized.  It has a circular eye surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms.  Additional well formed spiral bands are rotating around outside the core of Lionrock.  Thunderstorms in the eyewall and spiral bands are generating upper level divergence which are pumping out mass in all directions.  The upper level divergence is inhibited a little on the far northern edge of the circulation by northerly winds impinging on Typhoon Lionrock.  Even so, there is enough upper level divergence to compensate for the strong inflow of mass near the surface and Typhoon Lionrock has been in a nearly steady state during recent hours.

Typhoon Lionrock is moving through an environment that should allow for it to maintain its intensity during the next severall days.  It is moving over water where the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is near 30°C.  An upper level high over China is generating northerly winds which are effecting the extreme northern edge of the outflow from Lionrock.  However, the vertical wind shear is not very strong and it should have a minimal effect on the intensity of the typhoon in the short term.  Eventually, Typhoon Lionrock will move over cooler SSTs and into a region where the upper level winds are stronger and it will start to weaken before it reaches Japan.

Typhoon Lionrock is moving around the western end of a subtropical ridge and that ridge is beginning to steer it toward the northeast.  That general motion is expected to continue for the next several days.  Eventually Lionrock is forecast to turn more toward the northwest.  On its anticipated track Typhoon Lionrock could approach the eastern coast of Honshu in three or four days.  Lionrock could still be a typhoon at that time.

If Lionrock makes landfall in Honshu as a typhoon it will be strong enough to cause some wind damage.  In addition, Typhoon Lionrock could move over some of the same areas affected by Typhoon Mindulle.  Heavy rain caused by Lionrock could create the potential for additional flash flooding and mudslides.