Heavy rain forecast for Tokyo, typhoon likely to form south of Japan

A Japan Meteorological Agency sign is seen in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. (Mainichi)

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Torrential rain is forecast for Tokyo and surrounding prefectures from Wednesday evening and overnight, prompting Japan’s weather agency to warn residents of potential flooding and landslides.

Heavy rain was observed in other parts of the country, with Himi, Toyama Prefecture, recording rainfall of 110 millimeters in the three hours to 7:30 a.m., a record for precipitation in the area.

With linear rainbands forming, rainfall in the next 24 hours through 6 p.m. Thursday is expected to reach 150 mm in parts of the Kanto-Koshin region of eastern Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency also warned that a typhoon is likely to form south of the country and may approach Okinawa Prefecture, the Amami archipelago and the Kyushu region through Thursday.

As of 6 p.m., a tropical storm off Okinawa was packing winds of up to 82.8 kilometers per hour with an atmospheric pressure of 1,004 hectopascals at its center, the agency said. The storm is expected to strengthen into a typhoon.

Some regions may experience lightning along with torrential downpours as atmospheric conditions become unstable due to humid air brought by the weather system, according to the agency.

Rainfall in the 24 hours through 6 p.m. Thursday is expected to reach 100 millimeters in Amami.