Aug 02 (NHK) - Many parts of Japan saw record high temperatures and heavy rains in July. The Meteorological Agency called last month's weather conditions abnormal.
A seasonal rain front and typhoon caused nationwide heavy rains around July 8th. Parts of western Japan in particular suffered massive damage due to record-breaking torrential rain brought by huge amounts of water vapor that flowed over the region.
122 observation points across the country saw record-high rainfall over a 72-hour period.
After the rain, a strong high pressure system drove temperatures up over much of western and eastern Japan. Many areas experienced intensely hot weather.
On July 23, the mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius in the city of Kumagaya, north of Tokyo. It marked the highest temperature ever recorded in Japan. 108 observation points across the country broke records for daytime highs last month.
The average temperature in eastern Japan was the highest for the month since 1946, when observations began. It was 2.8 degrees higher than usual. Western Japan had its second-hottest July ever, up 1.6 degrees over normal.
The Sea of Japan coast in the country's east got a record high 1.8 times more hours of sunshine than usual in July.
Meteorological Agency official Motoaki Takekawa said the torrential rains and fierce heat seen in July were conditions that come along "less than once in 30 years."
He advised people to take care not to suffer heatstroke as temperatures will continue to soar through mid-August.
He warned that the extraordinary conditions could happen again.
The agency plans to convene an emergency panel of experts on August 10th to analyze the causes of last month's weather conditions.
