Seven tropical cyclones have already touchdown Japan since the beginning of August, and more threats are on the cards this October. Out of these seven cyclones, four were categorized as typhoons gusting at a speed of 119 km/h or greater.
A major part of the tropical development is happening close to or west of the Mariana Islands, which is directing winds guided cyclones towards Japan and also ensuing the high rate of recurrence of landfalls amid the months of August and September.
These storms have also resulted in destructive flooding and landslides in addition to the damages caused by winds.
As per the Japan Meteorological Agency, Typhoon Lionrock was the first typhoon to make a landfall on the Pacific side of Tohoku region since records commenced in 1951. The powerful cyclone brought about 17 death tolls across Japan. Typhoon Malakas leg out a record of 578 mm of rains (22.76 inches) in the city of Hyuga in Miyazaki Prefecture in only 24 hours. The record for most typhoon landfalls in Japan throughout one season is 10, which has happened just once in 2004.
A combination of weather factors led the experts to anticipate an active late summer and fall period for tropical activity around Japan past this year. The subsequent threat is brewing some thousand kilometers to the southeast as rain and thunderstorms turn out to be well organized to the east of Guam.
This zone of rain and thunderstorms is likely to develop a tropical cyclone later this week and trail west-northwest towards Taiwan the following week. After this next tropical threat, conditions will stay favorable for other tropical cyclones during the initial days of October.
Image Credit: thewatchers.adorraeli.com
