Japan – Deadly Tropical Cyclone ‘Faxai’ Dumps Heavy Rain

by in Asia

Tropical Cyclone ‘Faxai’ made landfall near Chiba City, east of Tokyo, Japan, on 08 September before moving over the central eastern coast of Honshu Island and North Pacific Ocean.

On Sept. 8 at 11.59 p.m. EDT (Sept. 9 at 0359 UTC) the AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite analyzed cloud top temperatures of Tropical Storm Faxai in infrared light. AIRS found coldest cloud top temperatures (purple) of strongest thunderstorms were as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius) around the center and in a large band east of center. Credit: NASA JPL/Heidar Thrastarson

With winds of up to 210km/h (130mph), Faxai is one of the strongest typhoons to hit Tokyo in the last few years. Evacuation warnings were issued to around 400,000 people in Kanagawa, Shizuoka and Tokyo prefectures.

Media reported 3 fatalities, including 1 in Tokyo, 1 in Otaki Town (Chiba Prefecture) and 1 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Fifty people have been injured. Around 930,000 households experienced power outages.

Over 100 flights were cancelled and train travel severely disrupted. Thousands of passengers were left stranded at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on 09 and 10 September due to disruptions caused by the typhoon.

Much of the damage caused by Faxai was a result of the strong winds, although some heavy rain was reported, resulting in urban flooding in Tokyo and other areas. Storm surge flooded port areas in Yokohama.

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that 109mm of rain fell in 1 hour in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on 09 September. Naka-ku in Yokohama and Edogawa in Tokyo both recorded 72 mm of rain in 1 hour on 09 September. JMA warned of mudslides and flooding following the heavy rain.

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