Sep 02 (NHK) - Localized downpours are hitting parts of northern to western Japan on Monday, while extremely heavy rain could continue through Tuesday in northern and eastern Japan.
The Meteorological Agency says atmospheric conditions are extremely unstable from northern through western Japan due to warm and damp air flowing into a rain front extending across the northern part of the country from the Sea of Japan.
In the one hour through 10:40 a.m. on Monday, Kazuno City in Akita Prefecture saw 50 millimeters of rainfall.
The front is expected to move southward and may bring extremely heavy localized downpours accompanied by thunder to northern and eastern Japan.
In the 24-hour period through Tuesday morning, rainfall could reach 120 millimeters in the Tohoku region, and 80 millimeters in the Hokkaido, Kanto-Koshin, Hokuriku and Tokai regions.
Weather officials are calling on people to be on heightened alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, as well as swollen and overflowing rivers. They are also urging caution against lightning strikes, violent winds, including tornadoes, and hail.
Previous storms, including Typhoon Shanshan, have brought record rainfall to parts of eastern and western Japan causing the ground to be loosened. Caution is advised as even a small amount of rainfall could raise the risk of disasters.
