Bands Of Heavy Rain Clouds May Form In And Around Kyushu
Atmospheric conditions have become unstable from western to northern Japan, and have caused torrential rain to fall in the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki and elsewhere.
Japan Meteorological Agency says the unstable conditions are being caused by warm and moist air flowing into a front.
Radar data show that downpours of more than 120 millimeters per hour hit Miyazaki early Friday morning. The downpours prompted the agency to issue "information on record hourly rainfall."
Thirty-six millimeters of rain fell in the hour through 11:00 a.m. in Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture, which neighbors Miyazaki.
Weather officials predict that bands of heavy rain clouds could develop overnight, and into Saturday morning, in the southern and northern Kyushu regions, as well as in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi.
The front is expected to extend further east and stay over the archipelago into Saturday. It will bring localized downpours of 50 millimeters or more per hour, and thunder, over a wide swath of land from western to northern Japan.
In the 24 hours through noon on Saturday, up to 250 millimeters of rain is forecast for northern and southern Kyushu, up to 120 millimeters is expected in the northeastern region of Tohoku, up to 100 millimeters will be seen in the Shikoku and Kanto-koshin regions, and up to 80 millimeters is likely to fall elsewhere.
Weather officials are warning about the possibility of landslides and floods in low-lying areas. They also say that rivers could swell. The officials are urging people to watch out for lightning strikes and gusty winds.
They are advising individuals to check the latest weather information and to heed any evacuation advisories from local authorities.