Typhoon Shanshan turns deadly, brings 30 inches of rain to Japan with severe flooding
More than 30 inches of rain has brought severe flooding to Japan which will continue through Monday.
Flooding in the area has submerged most of the roads, including the Tsurusaki intersection.
Former Typhoon Shanshan, now a rainstorm, is moving slowly up the island nation of Japan, bringing feet of rain, triggering landslides and unleashing tornadoes. The storm is far from over, however, as flooding rain will continue to fall through Monday due to the storm's slow trek across the island nation.
Shanshan was the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale late Thursday night JST after it pushed into Kyushu, Japan, Thursday afternoon as a Category 2 equivalent. Wind gusts of 115 mph (51.5 m/s) were reported at Makurazaki early Thursday morning.
More than 125,000 customers on the island of Kyushu were without power as of Friday evening JST, Kyushu Electric Power said, down from more than a quarter of a million on Thursday. A rain gauge at Ebino Plateau, in the mountains of central Kyushu, measured 34.67 inches (880.5 mm) of rain from Tuesday to Friday, while another station at Shinmon reported 32.07 inches (814.5 mm).
Nearly 4 million people were urged to evacuate before the storm hit. Typhoon Shanshan is the strongest storm of the season so far, and Wednesday was only the fourth time on record that Japan's government issued a "special typhoon warning," The Guardian wrote.
A bus is seen submerged in floodwaters in Yufu city of Oita prefecture on August 29, 2024. Typhoon Shanshan, one of Japan's strongest typhoons in decades, dumped torrential rain across southern regions on August 29, with one person missing and authorities warning of life-threatening flooding and landslides. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP) (Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images)
At least four people have been killed by the storm. A man in his 80s went missing in Chikujo, Fukuoka prefecture, while observing a swollen river. A body was found in the river, and the investigation continues, The Japan Times reported. In Kagoshima City, a man disappeared after falling into the ocean.
NHK reported that four people were injured Wednesday when a possible tornado touched down in Miyazaki, on the eastern shore of Kyushu. Video showed severe damage to cars and buildings.
This photo shows rescue workers outside a house that was hit by a landslide in Gamagori, Aichi prefecture on August 28, 2024. Four members of the same family were missing in Japan on August 28 after heavy rain from approaching typhoon Shanshan triggered a landslide, authorities said. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo by STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, three people died when a landslide in Gamagori City, which may have been caused by heavy rain north of Typhoon Shanshan, destroyed their home.
A slow northeast-to-east track is expected for Shanshan through Friday. Unfortunately, the storm will slow or stall for a time this weekend before finally being guided eastward early next week.
Due to the storm's slow movement, heavy rain will continue to cause significant, life-threatening flooding, landslides, mudslides and transportation delays. A widespread area of 1-2 feet of rain is likely, with local amounts exceeding 3 feet.
