Japan: Sudden Downpour Hits Nagoya, Causing Power Outages

Sudden, heavy downpours struck Nagoya and the wider Tokai region on Tuesday afternoon, July 28, causing power outages that affected more than 4,300 homes in Aichi and 3,500 in Gifu.

Japan: Tokyo Storm Causes Water to Surge From Manholes 2

Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Tokyo on Friday, July 24, amid unstable atmospheric conditions. A Level 4 warning was issued for Itabashi and Kita wards, with Level 3 warnings in several other wards, disrupting commutes and raising flood and river overflow risks. Several incidents were reported in the area of floodwater bursting violently from manholes like geysers.

Japan: Severe Thunderstorm Batters Tokyo With Flooding and River Overflow Risk

Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Tokyo on Friday, July 24, amid unstable atmospheric conditions. A Level 4 warning was issued for Itabashi and Kita wards, with Level 3 warnings in several other wards, disrupting commutes and raising flood and river overflow risks.

Japan: Tokyo Storm Causes Water to Surge From Manholes

Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Tokyo on Friday, July 24, amid unstable atmospheric conditions. A Level 4 warning was issued for Itabashi and Kita wards, with Level 3 warnings in several other wards, disrupting commutes and raising flood and river overflow risks. This video shows water gushing out from a manhole in Itabashi ward, Tokyo.

Japan: Level 5 Alert Issued as Torrential Rains Trigger Flooding, Landslide in Kanto Region

Torrential rain pounded a wide swath of the Kanto region in eastern Japan on Friday, July 17, bringing record-breaking downpours to Gunma and southern Tochigi prefectures as well as heavy rain in Tokyo, Yokohama and Kawasaki. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level "emergency safety" evacuation order for some areas. A landslide in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, collapsed a building and left three people unaccounted for.

Japan: Guerrilla Rainstorm Pummels Greater Tokyo, Possible Tornado In Saitama 3

Parts of the Kanto region, particularly the Greater Tokyo area, were hit by a sudden violent guerrilla rainstorm on Wednesday, July 24. Rain clouds moved from west to east across the Kanto region and approached central Tokyo, producing severe conditions. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a possible tornado occurred in southern Saitama.

Japan: Guerrilla Rainstorm Pummels Greater Tokyo, Possible Tornado In Saitama 2

Parts of the Kanto region, particularly the Greater Tokyo area, were hit by a sudden violent guerrilla rainstorm on Wednesday, July 24. Rain clouds moved from west to east across the Kanto region and approached central Tokyo, producing severe conditions. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a possible tornado occurred in southern Saitama.

Japan: Guerrilla Rainstorm Pummels Greater Tokyo, Possible Tornado In Saitama

Parts of the Kanto region, particularly the Greater Tokyo area, were hit by a sudden violent guerrilla rainstorm on Wednesday, July 24. Rain clouds moved from west to east across the Kanto region and approached central Tokyo, producing severe conditions. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a possible tornado occurred in southern Saitama.

'Guerrilla heavy rain' replicated indoors

'Guerrilla heavy rain' replicated indoors

TSUKUBA, Japan - National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention replicates a sudden violent rain storm at its experiment facility in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, on June 24, 2014.

The watertight board "Tomemi-chan" released by Hamaguchi Shokai

The watertight board "Tomemi-chan" released by Hamaguchi Shokai

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the annual number of rainfall events averaging more than 50 millimeters per hour nationwide averaged about 311 during 2009-18. This is about 40% more than the 226 times in the first 10 years of the statistical period, 1976-85. Small and medium-sized machinery-related companies believe that such data and the actual damage caused by the torrential rains in western Japan will increase demand for products that can be used to prepare for localized heavy rains such as "guerrilla rains. In June, Hamaguchi Shokai (Naniwa Ward, Osaka City) launched "Tomemi-chan," an aluminum watertight plate. According to Minoru Namba, deputy general manager of the sales department of Hamaguchi Shokai, its strength is its ease of installation at building entrances, "even women have no difficulty. Photo taken on June 7, 2019, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images