2023-07-12 17:07:00
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Japan has been hit by heavy rains for days. In the US, millions of people are preparing for extreme heat.
Frankfurt/Tokyo – Enormous heat or violent storms – summer brings extreme weather in different regions of the world. In Japan, at least six people died as a result of days of rain in the south-west of the country. This is reported, among other things, by the Chinese news agency Xinhua citing local media such as TV channel NHK.
Heavy rains in Japan: Six people dead – three people are missing
In addition, three people were missing. They are still being searched for in Saga and Oita prefectures on the southwestern main island of Kyushu. A 77-year-old woman died in the city of Soeda in Fukuoka Prefecture when her house was shaken by a landslide. A man died in hospital after being rescued from a flooded truck in Hirokawa city.
Another man was found dead in a flooded underpass in Dazaifu. In Kurume, a man died when he was found where several houses were hit by a mudslide. A male victim was also found dead in a rice field.
In Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, two houses were hit by a landslide, killing a woman. Two men were reported missing. Also wanted is a woman who disappeared on a riverside road in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture.
Water masses in Fukuoka: This car partially sinks in the middle of a street. © IMAGO / Kyodo News
Japan and severe weather: millions of people affected by evacuation warnings
A top-level evacuation warning has been issued for over 420,000 people in Fukuoka and Oita. This reads: “Your life is in danger, you must take immediate action.” In Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Saga, Yamaguchi and Oita, two million people had a lower warning level. Here people were asked to evacuate if they were in danger areas.
According to a government spokesman, thousands of households in the west of the country were without electricity. A crisis team has been set up, and the following applies: “Human lives first”. Japan Meteorological Service (JMA) meteorologist Satoshi Sugimoto told journalists, referring to Fukuoka and Oita in the southwest: “This is the heaviest rain the region has ever experienced.”
Weather in Japan: In addition to heavy rainfall, heat is also expected
Referring to weather experts, NHK reports that more than 600 millimeters of water has fallen on Mount Hikosan in Fukuoka since the rains began last Thursday. Other regions would also report record rainfall. On Tuesday, the weather in northern and western Japan is expected to remain unstable. Thunder has to be expected, and 50 millimeters of rain could fall per hour. For comparison: The German Weather Service (DWD) already speaks of heavy rain at ten millimeters per hour.
Extreme rain could also hit areas on the Sea of Japan coast in the Tohoku region through Thursday. In addition, there are midsummer temperatures in parts of the island state: 37 degrees are expected in the Kanto and Koshi regions, and even in hard-hit Kyushu there are probably over 30 degrees.
The rain doesn’t want to end: Despite everything, these Japanese are out and about. © IMAGO / Kyodo News
USA sweats in summer: temperatures of 43 or 44 degrees possible
Meanwhile, the south of the USA is also preparing for extreme heat. More than 50 million people are affected. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a so-called heat dome has formed over the southwesternmost states – similar to what happened over North America in 2021. In this case, “the heat is like it’s trapped under a huge dome and can’t escape,” informs wateronline.
As a result, parts of California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico can get hotter than 37 degrees. Extreme heat has been issued in southern and central California. In parts of the Los Angeles district, values of up to 44 degrees are feared during the week. The NWS warns against “outdoor activities between 10am and 4pm”. The long-lasting heat is particularly problematic: In Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, temperatures have been above 43 degrees for ten days.
El Paso, Texas, meanwhile, set a new record with 24 consecutive days of more than 37.7 degrees, local weather services said. A heat warning is in effect for the greater Miami area in southern Florida until Wednesday.
Weather extremes in the sea too: water temperatures of over 30 degrees could damage corals
Flora and fauna are also affected. Unusually high water temperatures have been measured in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, reports the Deutschlandfunk citing the US weather agency. Water temperatures of over 30 degrees are said to have been measured in many places off the Florida coast, and the overall values are two to three degrees above average. Experts fear that coral reefs could bleach out – this would result in the death of the corals.
The weather extremes are also associated with El Niño. The weather anomaly occurring at intervals of several years, especially in the Pacific, can have dramatic consequences.
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