Japan weather: Flooding triggers mudslides and kills two as 39 inches of rain falls

Residents in Japan are being urged to prepare for further mudslides and flooding days after deadly record levels of rainfall fell across the country. Rainfall on Friday totalled 39 inches in Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, while more than 21.32 inches of rain fell in Nichinan City in Miyazaki Prefecture on Japan’s southern Kyushu Island between Monday and Wednesday. The deluge smashed the previous three-day record of 18.01 inches dating back to October 30, 2017. The torrential rainfall has broken weather records across multiple locations in Japan, a year after the same conditions caused the deaths of 225 people.

In Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, 18.60 inches of rain fell on Wednesday beating the previous all-time high of 15.87 inches on September 6, 2000.

Kanoya saw 18.60 inches of rain on Wednesday beating the previous total of 15.87 cinches from September 6, 2005.

More than one million people were advised to evacuate in 10 prefectures including Kagoshima and Miyazaki where mudslides and flooding hit.

A second person was confirmed dead on Thursday as a result of the extreme weather.

The 85-year-old woman perished after her home was hit by a mudslide in the city of Soo, Kagoshima, in southern Japan.

Her death comes three days after a woman in her 70s was killed by a mudslide that engulfed her property in Kagoshima.

Japan Meterological Agency has issued a weather warning for heavy rain in effect for Onna-son in Okinawa-onto Chiho prefecture amid predictions another 40mm of rain could fall within the next six hours.

The region is also under a yellow advisory for flooding, high waves and thunderstorms.

Multiple weather advisories are also in place across several prefectures for heavy rain, storm surge, flooding, gales, high waves and thunderstorms.

The rainfall has so far damaged hundreds of homes in southwestern Japan, according to The Japan Times.

The publication also reports Kagoshima Governor Satoshi Mitazono has asked Self-Defence Forces to assist with disaster relief efforts due an “extremely high risk of large-scale disasters”.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on residents to “take action to protect your lives” in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Approximately 1,700 houses have suffered power outages.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said some drier weather was on the way but some regions faced further risks of extreme conditions.

She said: “While much-needed drier air is filtering across western Japan, residents of southern Kyushu should remain vigilant of additional landslides with the soil extremely overly saturated and unstable.”

Southern Honshu on the mainland is also at risk of further flooding and mudslides on Saturday.

source: express.co.uk