Japan's weather officials warn that Typhoon Hinnamnor may hit the country's southwestern islands with a force powerful enough to topple houses.

The Meteorological Agency says the typhoon was advancing west-southwest over the seas off the island of Minami Daitojima in Okinawa Prefecture at 30 kilometers per hour as of 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Hinnamnor neared the Daitojima region on Wednesday morning, lashing the islands with violent winds. Gusts of over 170 kilometers per hour were recorded at Kitadaito airport.

Winds are expected to intensify toward noon. People in the region are advised to stay inside sturdy buildings and refrain from going out.

The typhoon has a central atmospheric pressure of 920 hectopascals. The storm has wind speeds as high as 198 kilometers per hour near its center, with gusts of up to 270 kilometers per hour.

Extremely rough seas are expected, with waves reaching 10 meters in the Okinawa region and 6 meters in the Amami region in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Weather officials forecast 180 millimeters of rain will fall in the Daitojima region in the 24 hours until early Thursday morning.

The typhoon is expected to develop further, and its central atmospheric pressure will reach 915 hectopascals on Wednesday afternoon.

The typhoon is likely to become stationary over the seas south of Okinawa from Friday to Saturday.

Officials are warning of powerful gusts, high waves, mudslides, flooding of low-lying areas and swollen rivers.