A powerful typhoon slammed ashore in southern Japan on Sunday as it pounded the region with strong winds and heavy rain, causing blackouts, paralysing ground and air transportation and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Nanmadol was heading north after making landfall in Kagoshima city on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. It was packing maximum winds of 162 kilometers (101 miles) per hour, and is forecast to reach Tokyo on Tuesday. The weather agency predicted as much as 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rainfall by Monday evening. It also alerted residents urging them to evacuate early.