Parts of Japan on alert for more torrential rain

Jul 12, 2020 | News On Japan

Jul 12, 2020 (NHK) - Heavy rain continues to fall intermittently in Gifu and Nagano Prefectures, central Japan, and in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The earth had been loosened and dikes had been damaged in some areas, raising the risks of further floods and mudslides.

Weather officials say an active rain front and a low pressure system extending over the Sea of Japan are destabilizing atmospheric conditions from western Japan to the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan and causing rain clouds to develop.

Rainfall over the past 24 hours through Saturday evening topped 300 millimeters in Kumamoto Prefecture, while it reached nearly 250 millimeters in Nagano Prefecture and about 170 millimeters in Gifu Prefecture.

Officials have issued landslide warnings for some areas.

For the 24 hours through Sunday evening, weather officials are forecasting rain of up to 150 millimeters in northern Kyushu, 120 millimeters in the Tohoku region, and 100 millimeters in the Tokai and Kinki regions.

They are also warning of landslides, swollen rivers and flooding in low-lying areas.

Heavy rain may continue in both western and eastern Japan from Monday as the low pressure system approaches and the rain front moves north.

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