Tropical Storm 08W speeds north on JTWC forecast track taking it just east of Tokyo and Misawa late Tuesday into Wednesday. (Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, Japan time: Tropical Storm 08W has really mashed the foot onto the gas pedal, speeding north on a course taking it just east of Tokyo and Misawa Air Base later tonight into Wednesday morning, according to Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

At 3 p.m., 08W was about 190 miles south-southeast of Yokosuka Naval Base, steaming north-northeast at 38 mph and had intensified to 46-mph sustained winds and 58-mph gusts. U.S. bases in the Kanto Plain remained in seasonal Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness posture through Tuesday afternoon.

JTWC projects 08W to continue motoring quickly north, its strongest winds confined to its east quadrants, facing away from land. 08W is forecast to pass 75 miles east of Yokosuka around 8 p.m. and 35 east of Misawa at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Expect showers and scattered thunderstorms in the Tokyo area through Tuesday into Wednesday, according to Yokosuka’s forecast. It calls for peak 30-mph sustained winds and 40-mph gusts in the Yokosuka area Tuesday evening into Wednesday.