Tokyo: A ‘super typhoon’, stronger than the deadly Hurricane Katrina that devastated the southern US in 2005 may hit Japan in the later half of the century if global warming continues, a study said.

Typhoons packing winds of at least 241.2 kilometres per hour are often called super typhoons but the anticipated one may blow as strong as 288 kph on the ground, the study said.

Researchers from Nagoya University and state-run Meteorological Research Institute on Monday said many super typhoons may develop between 2074 and 2087 due to a projected 2 degree celsius rise in sea temperatures in western Pacific ocean south of Japan.

“Given that global warming is under way, it is little wonder that typhoons develop in an extreme way,” Nagoya University associate professor Kazuhisa Tsuboki said. “The point is how we will forecast them and take disaster control measures,” he said.

The study is based on findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change saying average global temperatures will rise about 3 degree celsius from pre-industrial levels at the end of the century.

Using the advanced supercomputer Earth Simulator, the team predicted in detail the occurrence and development of typhoons around Japan during the 2074-2087 period.

A rise in sea temperatures generally makes typhoons more powerful as they develop by taking energy from warm seas. Such typhoons would also bring heavy rains as global warming will increase water vapor in the air.