Japan: Heavy rains in Fukui, flood and landslide warnings issued

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special warning today for heavy rainfall in areas of Fukui Prefecture in central Japan, amid reports of landslides, rising river levels, and homes and roads inundated by floodwaters.

The agency issued a Level 5 warning, the highest alert level for heavy rain, in the cities of Fukui, Ono, and Katsuyama, cautioning that disasters were imminent or had already occurred, before later downgrading the alert to Level 4, which calls for the evacuation of residents from hazardous areas.

Authorities urged approximately 244,000 people to take emergency safety measures, while requesting around 111,000 people in five municipalities to evacuate their homes, as heavy rainfall continued.

The cities of Katsuyama, Sakai, and Fukui recorded record-breaking rainfall exceeding 300 millimeters within a 24-hour period leading up to this morning, causing rivers to swell, flooding numerous homes and roads, and stranding vehicles due to the floods.

The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast continued heavy rain across a wide area stretching from western to eastern Japan today, due to unstable weather conditions. It noted that rainfall totals in the Hokuriku region, which includes Fukui, could reach 120 millimeters, and in the Chugoku region, 80 millimeters, within 24 hours leading up to Monday morning.