Rain clouds have developed mainly over coastal areas along the Sea of Japan, bringing torrential rain.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency says warm and damp air is flowing toward a rain front, which is stationary near northern Japan, making atmospheric conditions unstable mainly along the Sea of Japan coast.
During one hour through 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday, 60.5 millimeters of torrential rain fell in the town of Mogami in Yamagata Prefecture. That’s the heaviest rainfall since the agency began keeping track.
For the one-hour period through 9 a.m., 34 millimeters of rain were recorded in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
Landslide alerts have been issued for some parts of the prefectures of Akita, Niigata, Yamagata, Miyagi and Shimane. Local authorities have issued evacuation orders to residents in some areas.
The front is expected to remain stationary through Thursday and cause atmospheric conditions to be very unstable in wide areas from northern to western Japan. Some regions will likely have torrential rain accompanied by thunder.
During the 24-hour period through Wednesday morning, up to 150 millimeters of rain are forecast for the Tohoku region and Niigata Prefecture, and 100 millimeters for the Hokuriku region.
Even a small amount of rain could trigger landslides in areas affected by the earthquake that hit Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day.
The meteorological agency is urging caution against landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers.
The agency is also advising people to be on the alert for lightning, gusts of wind, including tornadoes, and hail.