General News

Typhoon Shanshan Brings Record Rainfall Even as Storm Weakens; 4 Killed, 2 Missing (Update 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:05 JST, August 30, 2024 (updated at 15:00 JST)

Typhoon Shanshan was expected to approach Shikoku late Friday after crossing northern Kyushu.

Although the typhoon has weakened and wind speeds have fallen, record heavy rainfall has continued across much of Japan, especially in Kyushu.

A Yomiuri Shimbun tally found the typhoon, also known as Typhoon No. 10, killed four people and left two missing, with 93 more people, mainly in Kyushu, seriously injured as of 9 a.m. on Thursday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, precipitation in the 72 hours up to daybreak Friday reached over 800 millimeters in some areas of southern Kyushu, over 600 millimeters in northern Kyushu and 500 millimeters in the Shikoku and Tokai regions.

Heavy rain is expected to continue, with precipitation in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. Saturday expected to reach 400 millimeters in Shikoku, 300 millimeters in Tokai and 200 millimeters in the Kinki region. The agency called for extreme caution over landslides and swollen rivers.

Three people were killed in a landslide in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, and a man in his 80s was trapped by falling debris and died when the roof of his two-story house collapsed in Kamiita, Tokushima Prefecture.

In Chikujo, Fukuoka Prefecture, an elderly man watching a river went missing on Thursday night. A 64-year-old captain of a small boat that capsized off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture is also missing.

Some sections of the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines were suspended Friday, and airline companies also canceled flights, mainly to and from western Japan.

The typhoon was slowly moving northeastward near Kunisaki, Oita Prefecture, at 9 a.m. on Friday, with a central pressure of 994 hectopascals and a top wind speed of 20 meters per second (72 kph). It is expected to turn into a tropical storm by Monday.