‘Once-in-50-years’ rainfall event hits Nagasaki, Japan
Image credit: JMA/Himawari-8, RAMMB/CIRA. Acquired at 03:30 UTC on June 25, 2020
Torrential rain struck the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki in Japan, on Thursday morning, June 25, 2020– an event described by the national meteorological agency as 'once-in-50-years.' Rainfall in Sasebo also hit a record high for the month of June, with 281.5 mm (11 inches) recorded in a 24-hour period.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said damp air was moving towards the rain front, producing unstable atmospheric conditions and brining rain clouds over the northern Kyushu area.
Sasebo City initially registered 181 mm (7.1 inches) in a three-hour period to 09:50 UTC (06:50 LT) on Thursday morning, which was already a record for the city.
By 12:00 UTC (09:00 LT), the 24-hour rainfall in the city reached 281.5 mm (11 inches) –another record high for the month of June.
Nagasaki, in particular, was receiving levels of rain "seen only in about once in 50 years," said JMA.
Japan: Nagasaki experienced heavy rain on the morning of the 25th, and it became "a record heavy rain every 50 years" on the Goto Islands. In Northern Kyushu, a morning with extremely heavy rain. Heavy rains fell in various parts of Nagasaki. 25-06-2020 pic.twitter.com/izpu25iQHb
— Rowan Van Dijk (@Lastkombo) June 25, 2020
【長崎県内 #記録的大雨 】活発な #梅雨前線 の影響で #長崎 県内ではきょう未明から記録的な大雨 となっていて、一部に #避難指示 が出されています。#佐世保市 pic.twitter.com/gZgAuh29HE
— TBS NEWS (@tbs_news) June 25, 2020
Officials have issued evacuation orders to citizens in the central and northern parts of Sasebo due to a high risk of flooding.
JMA warned that extremely heavy rain with localized thunderstorms may hit northern Kyushu through Friday, June 26, with up to 180 mm (7 inches) expected in northern Kyushu and 100 mm (3.9 inches) in Chugoku.
More than 30 mm (1.2 inches) of rain is forecast in wide areas from the Hokuriku region to eastern Japan.
It will rain heavily in Western Japan and Eastern Japan from tonight to 26th. Especially in the northern part of Kyushu, which Saga and Nagasaki lies in, it has already rained heavily. So, be on very high guard against landslides. pic.twitter.com/a2Le0Au4GZ
— Weather Information (Japan) (@weather_japan) June 25, 2020
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