Hong Kong ( CNN ) The most powerful storm of the year has Japan in its sights . Hot on the heels of Typhoon Phanfone , which lashed Japan with rain and high winds last week , Vongfong , which has intensified in recent days to become the strongest tropical cyclone of 2014 so far , looks poised to buffet the country in the coming days . Typhoon Vongfong is the strongest tropical cyclone since last year 's Typhoon Haiyan , which had winds of 315 km/h ( 195 mph ) which devastated parts of the Philippines , leaving over 6,000 dead and more than 1,800 missing . Track the typhoon . Currently over open water , the storm , which is classed as a Super Typhoon , is heading north towards the Japanese island prefecture of Okinawa , according to the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center ( JTWC ) . The Center has recorded sustained winds of 155 knots ( 178 mph ) and gusts up to 190 knots ( 219 mph ) , with wave height reaching 50 feet . It is expected to intensify to 305 km/h ( 190 mph ) in the coming hours . Sustained winds of over 150 mph classify a tropical storm as a super typhoon . Vongfong is the sixth Pacific storm to be so designated this so far in 2014 , but is the strongest this year . It is traveling west-northwest at a speed of 8 knots ( 9 mph ) , the Japan Meterological Agency said . The agency has classed the storm as `` violent . '' Before veering northwards , the storm passed by the Pacific island of Guam , depositing heavy rain and causing minor damage . If it stays on course towards Japan , it is expected to lose intensity before making landfall on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu . It could , says CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri , still be a category three equivalent on the U.S. scale . This year has seen a lower-than-average number of named storms and typhoons , but double the yearly average of Super Typhoons - six in total so far . The previous severe weather alert , generated by Phanfone , caused more than 1.2 million people to be evacuated to shelters , disrupted air and rail travel as well as the search and rescue efforts for missing hikers on Mount Ontake . Two U.S. airmen and a Japanese surfer remained missing Monday .
Strongest typhoon of 2014 headed towards Japan . Typhoon Vongfong follows Phanfone , which hit the country last week . Storm has sustained winds of 178 mph and gusts of up to 219 mph . If it carries on its current course , storm expected to lose intensity before making landfall .