Record Torrential Rains Slam Eastern Honshu, Japan, Leaving One Dead Amid Evacuation Orders

Record-breaking torrential rains, fueled by a stationary autumn rain front and a typhoon, have lashed eastern Honshu, Japan, prompting evacuation orders in some areas and leaving one person dead.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and NHK on the 7th, Niijima Village in the Izu Islands, south of Tokyo, recorded 485 millimeters of heavy rain over a 24-hour period as of 9:40 AM, the highest ever observed for the area.

A Level 5 special sediment disaster warning, the highest tier on Japan's disaster alert scale, was issued for the region.

Japan's disaster warning system consists of five levels ranging from Level 1 to 5. Under a Level 5 situation, disasters are already occurring in the affected areas, and residents are strongly advised to evacuate to a safe location.

Level 4 indicates a high likelihood of disasters occurring, prompting evacuation recommendations.

An official from the Meteorological Agency stated, "Areas under special warnings have experienced unprecedented levels of heavy rain."

Toshima Village in the Izu Islands also issued a Level 5 alert for the entire village as of 3:00 PM on the same day, urging all 306 residents to evacuate promptly.

Heavy rain also battered the southern Kanto region, with Level 4 warnings issued for Chiba City and Takahagi City in Ibaraki Prefecture as of 7:30 AM.

In Takahagi City, as river water levels exceeded dangerous flood thresholds, evacuation orders were issued as of 6:45 AM for 8,627 residents across 3,721 households.

Oshima Island in the Izu Islands received 725 millimeters of rain over a 48-hour period up to 3:00 PM on the same day, doubling its average total rainfall for the entire month of September.

In Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, firefighters rushed to the scene following a report this morning and found two submerged vehicles in an underground roadway.

A woman in her 60s was rescued from one of the vehicles and transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A Level 4 flood risk warning was also issued for the Zenpukuji River flowing through Tokyo.

Japanese transportation authorities restricted vehicle traffic at an underground intersection in Chuo Ward, Chiba City, in the early hours of the day.

This marks the first time Japan has actually implemented "preventive traffic restrictions," a system introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism following fatal flooding at the same location during heavy rains last month.

Rain clouds also developed in Chiba Prefecture, bringing 304.5 millimeters of rain to Tateyama City over a 24-hour period up to 3:00 PM.

This amounts to 1.4 times the average monthly precipitation for September.

Transportation was also disrupted.

Train services on major Tokyo metropolitan lines, including the JR Yamanote, Chuo, and Sobu lines, were reduced due to heavy rain that began on the 6th, but normal operations resumed by this afternoon.

However, operations on all or parts of the JR Joban, Suigun, and Hachiko lines remain suspended.

In aviation, All Nippon Airways (ANA) decided to cancel two flights operating between Haneda Airport and Hachijojima Island in the Izu Islands.

The Japan Meteorological Agency explained that the heavy downpours were caused by warm and humid air flowing from the 24th typhoon, Kroprak, interacting with a northward-moving autumn rain front.

However, the 24th typhoon weakened into a tropical depression as of 9:40 AM observations.

The JMA forecasted that linear precipitation bands (band-shaped heavy rain zones) could develop across the Kanto, Tokai, and Tohoku regions of eastern Honshu, potentially bringing even more rainfall.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.