Historic Heat Yields to Intense Downpour in Japan
Record-Breaking Heat and Rainfall Sweep Across Japan
Japan has been experiencing a week of extreme weather, with record-breaking high temperatures and heavy rainfall in various parts of the country.
This summer marks the sixth time that the mercury has exceeded 40C in parts of Japan, with the temperature in Isesaki City, north of Tokyo, reaching a record high of 41.8C last Tuesday. The previous record of 41.2C was set on July 30 in Tamba City, western prefecture of Hyogo.
The heatwave has brought heatstroke warnings to 44 out of Japan's 47 prefectures. The Agriculture Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, has stated that the government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, as the high temperatures have also led to an increase in stink bugs, known to damage rice crops.
Meanwhile, the eastern and northern parts of Japan are bracing for more rain. Rainfall in Niigata Prefecture, a major rice-producing area, dropped to just 3.5 millimeters in July compared to 376.5 millimeters during the same month last year. However, between last Wednesday and Monday, Fukuoka Prefecture recorded 567 millimeters of rain, while Kumamoto Prefecture recorded 581 millimeters, both more than three times the average monthly rainfall in August.
The heavy rain has resulted in flooding and landslides. A mudslide in Kagoshima's Aira City caused a house to collapse, killing one. In Kumamoto, two people in their 60s were swept away by the flooding Saigo River. A person is missing and four others were injured in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima due to the torrential rain.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning for Tamana City and Nagasu Town in Kumamoto, while the Fire and Disaster Management Agency issued evacuation advisories and warnings to over 3 million people in the southwestern Kyushu. Approximately 384,000 residents, primarily in Kumamoto Prefecture, were under Japan's highest-level evacuation warning as of Tuesday.
The average density of stink bugs was 17.1 bugs per square meter in August, which is 43 times higher than the previous year's 0.4. The Saitama Prefectural Pest and Disease Control Center surveyed rice stink bugs and found them taking shelter for the winter at 58.1% of 172 sites.
While the exact factors contributing to Japan's hottest day and heaviest rainfall within a week in August 2021 are not detailed in the current search results, general meteorological knowledge suggests that climate change-induced warming, persistent atmospheric conditions favoring heat buildup, and seasonal tropical weather systems likely combined to cause these extreme weather events.
For more detailed analysis of the specific events in August 2021, meteorological reports from that time would need to be examined.
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