Society

Torrential rain in southwestern Japan

Jun 11 (NHK) - The Meteorological Agency says Japan has entered the rainy season, except for the northern part of the Tohoku region.

Agency officials said on Thursday that a seasonal rain front and warm, damp air are creating unstable atmospheric conditions over western and eastern Japan.

Kyushu in the southwest has had torrential rain since Thursday morning. Isa City in Kagoshima Prefecture had 33 millimeters of rainfall in one hour, and the town of Yunomae in Kumamoto Prefecture had 31.5 millimeters.

Localized thunderstorms with hourly precipitation of 50 millimeters or more are expected in western and eastern Japan through early Friday morning.

Weather officials are urging people to be on the alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and overflowing rivers, as well as lightning and sudden gusts of wind.

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