100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain in one hour floods Tokyo, Japan
Image credit: Vineet Kumar
Roughly 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain fell over Tokyo in an hour on Thursday, August 22, 2024, causing severe flooding across the city, overwhelming the drainage system, and causing manhole covers to blow off.
Nearly 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain fell over Tokyo within one hour on Thursday, leading to severe flooding across the city.
The Meteorological Agency issued warnings across the capital and its vicinity due to unstable atmospheric conditions.
The rain was attributed to what is known in Japan as “guerrilla rainstorms” or “guerrilla thunderstorms.” When accompanied by thunder, these localized heavy downpours occur suddenly and are difficult to predict.
Visuals on social media showed severe inundation across several locations such as train stations, stores, and streets.
Tokyo (Japan) flooded after nearly 100mm rain in short time. This again highlights the fact that if it rains very heavily in short time, all cities in world will flood. #tokyoflood pic.twitter.com/VFoBvlepBH
— vineet kumar (@vineet_mausam) August 22, 2024
The intense downpours and flooding overwhelmed the city’s drainage system causing manhole covers to blow up in the Nishi-Shinjuku region.
Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed train service and operations at Haneda Airport were temporarily suspended due to the inundation and rain, no injuries or significant damage were reported, and services have since resumed.
References:
1 Record rainfall floods Tokyo for the second day in a row – EN – August 22, 2024
2 Tokyo under assault by ‘guerrilla rainstorms’ – The Japan Times – August 22, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.