Japan: Heavy rain kills 3, climate change creates havoc

Torrential rains have lashed Japan, causing widespread floods, which have killed three people while other three are missing.
Kyushu island has been hit hard, rivers have overflowed, and hillsides have collapsed due to an unusually high volume of water.

According to the national weather agency of Japan, the city of Kurumi has received 402.5 mm of rainfall, the highest ever recorded rainfall in a day. The Japanese Meteorological Agency has said that the heaviest rainfall in a day was recorded on 12 October 2019 when it rained 922.5mm.


The heavy downpour has affected normal life as roads in many parts have collapsed and electricity transmission lines have snapped and damaged badly. Authorities have asked the people to evacuate as more rains are apprehended.

Japanese Meteorological Agency official Satoshi Sugimoto told journalists that he believed it was the "heaviest ever experienced" rain in the region. Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told the AFP that three people have been killed in the flooding and the number may go up. Besides, three others are missing in the remotely placed areas.

The local authorities have said that an old woman died after getting trapped in a house in Soeda, Fukuoka province. Her husband somehow survived. A woman was washed away by the flood waters while driving a car in Kurumi City.

Many remote areas have been cut off from the rest of the country due to flash floods. The government authorities have issued evacuation notices to residents of many areas. Japan gets torrential rains every year these days. Scientists have said that climate change and increased temperature have intensified the rains as a warmer atmosphere holds more water and causes heavier rains. Possibilities of landslide also increased as soil got eroded and lose due to rainfall.

FAQs:

Q1:What is the highest recorded rainfall in Japan in a day?
The Japanese Meteorological Agency has said that the heaviest rainfall in a day was recorded on 12 October 2019 when it rained 922.5mm.

Q2:How has climate change affected rainfall in Japan?
Scientists have said that climate change and increased temperature have intensified the rains as a warmer atmosphere holds more water and causes heavier rains.