Heavy rain hits western Japan as storm nears

Jul 19 (NHK) - Parts of western Japan have been pummeled by heavy rain due to Tropical Storm Danas.

The Meteorological Agency says Danas was situated over the East China Sea at 9 p.m. on Thursday.

It says the storm is moving north at 20 kilometers per hour and is packing winds of 72 kilometers per hour.

The agency expects waves up to 7 meters high to hit the coastal areas of Okinawa Prefecture on Friday.

Danas has been sending warm and damp air toward a rain front extending across the country. As a result, there have been intermittent downpours in some areas in western Japan.

In Yamaguchi Prefecture's Shunan City, 57.5 millimeters of rain were recorded during the one-hour period through 11 p.m. on Thursday.

Atmospheric conditions across eastern and western Japan will remain unstable through Saturday. Some areas could receive more than 50 millimeters of rain per hour.

Weather officials are warning of landslides, swollen rivers, and flooding in low-lying areas, as well as lightning and gusty winds.

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