August 12, 2024, 9:05 AM
August 12, 2024, 9:05 AM
Tropical Storm Maria made landfall in northern Japan on Monday.where it dumped the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain in a single day and forced the cancellation of dozens of flights.
Maria made landfall at 8:30 a.m. (11:30 p.m.) near the northern city of Ofunato, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
It was initially classified as a “severe tropical storm”, one level below a typhoon, but was downgraded to a “tropical storm” on Monday afternoon as it lost strength.
According to the Iwate prefectural government, there were no reports of injuries or serious structural damage.
Municipalities in the region issued evacuation notices and warnings to some 315,000 residents overnight, and about 2,000 people spent the night in shelters.
The storm dumped 362 millimeters of rain in the last 24 hours as of Monday morning in the city of Kuji, the highest level in the agency’s records dating back to 1978.
The city also issued an emergency evacuation order to about 8,300 residents living along a river.
About 300 households in Iwate were without power on Monday afternoon, according to the regional power company.
As of noon Monday local time, Maria was moving over the city of Hanamaki in Iwate, with gusts of up to 108 kilometers per hour and moving northwest at 20 kilometers per hour, according to the weather agency.
Japan Airlines cancelled 78 domestic flights, affecting 7,039 passengers, and ANA cancelled eight flights, according to national broadcaster NHK.
Some regional train services were suspended, although the bullet train system continued to operate normally.
The storm is forecast to move across Japan and head toward the Sea of Japan. Monday night.
Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events such as torrential rains and tropical storms more frequent and intense.
