Western Japan may face localized torrential rains

Jul 08, 2021 | News On Japan

Jul 08, 2021 (NHK) - Weather officials are warning that the seasonal rain front will continue to bring localized torrential rains on Friday to western Japan and other areas.

They urge residents in the areas hit by the record rains in Hiroshima, Tottori and nearby prefectures to stay safe in shelters.

The Meteorological Agency says warm and damp air from the south is developing rainclouds along the front in Kyushu and other areas.

In Iki city of Nagasaki Prefecture, 64.5 millimeters of rain were recorded over an hour through 6 a.m.

Tottori, Shimane, and Hiroshima prefectures have had record rains in the past few days. In Shikano, Tottori, 445 millimeters of rain fell over 48 hours through 4 a.m.

Landslide alerts have been issued for some areas in Tottori, Shimane and Nagasaki prefectures.

Forecasters say more than 50 millimeters of hourly rain could fall in western Japan, along with thunder.

They say the 24-hour-precipitation through Saturday morning may reach 150 millimeters in northern Kyushu, 120 millimeters in Yamaguchi Prefecture, 100 millimeters in the Chugoku, Hokuriku and Tokai regions, 80 millimeters in the Kinki region and 60 millimeters in the Tohoku region.

Officials also warn of the buildup of a "band-shaped precipitation system" on a radar. In such a system, clusters of thunder clouds move slowly, resulting in large volume of precipitation in the area.

The Meteorological Agency says the rain front will continue through Sunday and the additional rainfall could increase the risk of disaster.

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