2023-08-15 19:21:30
The land of the rising sun is used to extreme climatic episodes, but this one is of particular concern to the authorities. Tropical Storm Lan slams into Japan on Tuesday, raising fears of flooding and landslides, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The typhoon, upgraded to a “severe tropical storm” when it made landfall around 5 a.m. Tuesday (2000 GMT Monday) in Wakayama prefecture, about 600 km west of Tokyo, was sweeping west of Japan, where major metropolises like Osaka and Kobe are located, heading north.
The rains “have already exceeded the average monthly rainfall for August in some areas” in central and western regions, JMA said on Network X (formerly Twitter).
Shinkansen high-speed train traffic between Nagoya (center) and Okayama (west) was interrupted, as was traffic on many local train lines. Part of a pedestrian bridge spanning a river has been washed away in Kyoto.
Significant flash flooding is ongoing right now in southwestern Japan as Typhoon Lan moves through the region. Rainfall totals within the last 24 hours exceed 500 mm (20 inches) in some spots. Highest level emergency warnings are in effect for parts of Tottori Prefecture. pic.twitter.com/ae9qgMSblD
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) August 15, 2023
The town of Tottori, which faces the Sea of Japan, issued its maximum evacuation alert for some 182,000 residents in the late afternoon, as the weather agency warned of the arrival of “unprecedented” heavy rains in the region.
“Lives are in danger. Residents are in a situation where their personal safety needs to be ensured,” Satoshi Sugimoto of the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters. The latter asked the population of the region to take refuge on high ground because of a risk of flooding.
Electricity was largely restored but 9,200 homes lacked it, according to local operator Kansai Electric Power.
650 people stuck at an airport overnight
Many flights have also been canceled since Monday: 240 flights for the airline Japan Airlines and 313 for its competitor ANA.
Some 650 people were forced to spend the night at Kansai International Airport, located on a man-made island in Osaka Bay and connected to the archipelago by a bridge, after road and rail access was cut off by storm, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
The storm was expected to continue sweeping across western Japan all day Tuesday before reaching the Sea of Japan and moving up towards Vladivostok, at the southeastern tip of Russia.
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