Wet weather has been gripping much of Japan, with heavy rain expected to pound many parts of the country through around Monday. People should check the latest information to decide whether to evacuate as the risk of disasters could grow.
Total precipitation for the 48-hour period through 1 a.m. on Friday reached 318.5 millimeters in the town of Ajigasawa in the northern prefecture of Aomori.
It was roughly double the usual amount of rainfall for the whole month of September.
Downpours also pummeled some parts of the Amami region in southwestern Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture. The rainfall in the one-hour period through 1 a.m. on Friday totaled 64.5 millimeters on Kikaijima Island.
A Level 4 Urgent Warning for landslides is currently in place for some parts of the country.
People in rain-stricken locations are being urged to stay vigilant for landslides and floods in low-lying areas, as well as swollen and overflowing rivers.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says that atmospheric conditions have become significantly destabilized due to a seasonal rain front as well as damp and humid air from Tropical Storm Krovanh.
The front is forecast to remain near Japan’s southern coasts, while the tropical storm is also expected to stay close to Okinawa Prefecture and Amami; both are in southwestern Japan.
The agency says the pressure pattern is a typical type that increases the chances of heavy rain. Localized torrential rain could pummel western Japan on Friday. A band of heavy rain clouds could develop over the prefectures of Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Oita and Kochi sometime through Friday, sharply heightening the risk of rain-related disasters.
The rainfall for the 24-hour period through Friday evening could hit 300 millimeters in the Shikoku region, 200 millimeters in the Kyushu region and Amami, and 180 millimeters in the Kinki region.
The precipitation for the 24-hour period through Saturday evening could rise to 200 millimeters in Shikoku and southern Kyushu, 150 millimeters in the Tokai region, Kinki and Amami, and 120 millimeters in the Kanto-Koshin region and northern Kyushu.
A further 120 to 200 millimeters of rain could fall in areas from Kanto-Koshin to Amami in the 24-hour period through Sunday evening.