Weekend storm can trigger flooding across snow-weary Japan
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jan 23, 2021 7:04 PM EDT
This time-lapse video captured by the Shark River in Avon-By-The-Sea, New Jersey, shows the moment a fast-moving snow squall overtakes the town on Jan. 20.
A storm will bring milder air, heavy rain and the threat of flooding to parts of Japan that have been hit with heavy snow in recent weeks.
Since the middle of December, rounds of sea-effect snow have buried parts of western Honshu with well over a meter (3.3 feet) of snow. More recently, a deadly pile-up involving at least 134 vehicles occurred early last week to the north of Sendai amid white-out conditions.
Now, forecasters warn that a storm expected to hit over the weekend can lead to the threat of flooding.
“This storm can bring milder air and heavy rain to a portion of Honshu that recently received heavy snowfall,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman. He added, “The combination of expected rainfall and snowmelt caused by the milder air may lead to flooding in some areas.”
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The greatest threat of flooding is forecast to be in western Chubu, Kanto and Tohoku regions. Here, rounds of heavy rain and an unusually deep snowpack can work together to create the greatest impacts from the storm.
Across Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata prefectures, there is a deep snowpack that contains a lot of water, even at lower elevations. As temperatures rise into the weekend and rain falls across this area, run-off can quickly fill low-lying areas and streams which can lead to the threat of flooding.
While some showers will be across southern and central Japan on Friday, the heaviest rainfall will arrive on Saturday as the center of the storm tracks by to the south.
Periods of heavy rainfall are forecast to continue through Sunday, bringing rainfall totals of 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) across southern and central Japan.
The highest rainfall totals, including the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 150 mm (6 inches), will be most likely along the southern coast of Japan from Shikoku to Kanto.
In addition to heavy rainfall, gusty winds are expected from the storm racing by this weekend. The strongest gusts can lead to localized damage, power outages and rough seas, especially along southern coastal areas.
This storm will bring mainly rain to the country throughout the weekend; however, enough cold air will be in place in the mountains of central Honshu for rain to change over to snow. Snowfall totals can climb to around 30 cm (12 inches) in the highest peaks.
In the wake of this potent storm, largely dry conditions are forecast to return to Japan on Monday before the next chance for rain and mountain snow arrives by the middle of the week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather Forecasts
Weekend storm can trigger flooding across snow-weary Japan
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jan 23, 2021 7:04 PM EDT
This time-lapse video captured by the Shark River in Avon-By-The-Sea, New Jersey, shows the moment a fast-moving snow squall overtakes the town on Jan. 20.
A storm will bring milder air, heavy rain and the threat of flooding to parts of Japan that have been hit with heavy snow in recent weeks.
Since the middle of December, rounds of sea-effect snow have buried parts of western Honshu with well over a meter (3.3 feet) of snow. More recently, a deadly pile-up involving at least 134 vehicles occurred early last week to the north of Sendai amid white-out conditions.
Now, forecasters warn that a storm expected to hit over the weekend can lead to the threat of flooding.
“This storm can bring milder air and heavy rain to a portion of Honshu that recently received heavy snowfall,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman. He added, “The combination of expected rainfall and snowmelt caused by the milder air may lead to flooding in some areas.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The greatest threat of flooding is forecast to be in western Chubu, Kanto and Tohoku regions. Here, rounds of heavy rain and an unusually deep snowpack can work together to create the greatest impacts from the storm.
Across Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata prefectures, there is a deep snowpack that contains a lot of water, even at lower elevations. As temperatures rise into the weekend and rain falls across this area, run-off can quickly fill low-lying areas and streams which can lead to the threat of flooding.
While some showers will be across southern and central Japan on Friday, the heaviest rainfall will arrive on Saturday as the center of the storm tracks by to the south.
Periods of heavy rainfall are forecast to continue through Sunday, bringing rainfall totals of 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) across southern and central Japan.
The highest rainfall totals, including the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 150 mm (6 inches), will be most likely along the southern coast of Japan from Shikoku to Kanto.
Related:
In addition to heavy rainfall, gusty winds are expected from the storm racing by this weekend. The strongest gusts can lead to localized damage, power outages and rough seas, especially along southern coastal areas.
This storm will bring mainly rain to the country throughout the weekend; however, enough cold air will be in place in the mountains of central Honshu for rain to change over to snow. Snowfall totals can climb to around 30 cm (12 inches) in the highest peaks.
In the wake of this potent storm, largely dry conditions are forecast to return to Japan on Monday before the next chance for rain and mountain snow arrives by the middle of the week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo