Tropical Storm Maria moved over the Tohoku region on Monday, leading to emergency warnings in some areas and concerns about swelling rivers and landslides.
At 10:30 a.m., a Level 5 emergency warning was issued for parts of the Osanai and Kokuji areas in the city of Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, but the alert was lifted at 2:45 p.m. The alert was issued for a total of 4,177 households and 8,300 people in the areas.
Level 5 is the highest alert level, indicating a life-threatening situation and that residents should take immediate action to protect their lives — even if they are unable to safely evacuate. In such cases, authorities urge residents to seek shelter in nearby buildings or move to the second floor of their homes or higher.
The storm was also impacting public transportation as many are traveling for the Bon holiday period. Monday is also a national holiday.
As of Monday afternoon, some services on the Akita Shinkansen were suspended between Morioka and Akita stations. That line plus the Tohoku and Yamagata shinkansen lines could also see delays or suspensions, JR East said.
East Nippon Expressway Company’s Tohoku branch warned that closures were possible on expressways in the region.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said some flights to and from the region had been canceled, with more possible impacts into Tuesday morning.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Monday morning that given the anticipated record heavy rainfall in the region, it is essential to maintain a sense of urgency in terms of disaster response, even during the holiday period.
The storm made landfall at about 8:30 a.m. near the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the region. Maria is expected to travel slowly, moving into the Sea of Japan by evening. The agency has warned of the risk of heavy rain, landslides, overflowing rivers, strong wind and high waves.
As of Monday afternoon, the center of the storm was moving northwest at 20 kph near the city of Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture. It had a central pressure of 994 hectopascals, carrying maximum sustained winds of 72 kph and gusts of up to 108 kph, weakening slightly since it made landfall.
Maria is just the third tropical storm to make landfall on Tohoku’s Pacific coast since records began, according to the Meteorological Agency.
While the storm is expected to weaken into a tropical depression by Tuesday, its slow movement means it could bring rain to the region for a longer period, the agency said.
The Meteorological Agency has urged people to pay attention to disaster prevention information announced by local meteorological offices.
Two other tropical systems are being tracked by the Meteorological Agency. Tropical Storm Son-tinh, well away from land in the Pacific, is forecast to weaken into a tropical depression by Wednesday as it approaches eastern Hokkaido.
A tropical depression south of the archipelago, however, is forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm by Tuesday, possibly gaining strength further as it nears eastern Japan by the weekend. The exact forecast track remains unclear.