Typhoon 25 passed through Japan last week. In my area, there was a day of rain but no real damage. As the storm moved east, it was a different story. I read 11 people lost their lives, and four are still missing. Over 10,000 homes in Chiba and Kanagawa are still without power. There are landslides and fallen trees, so it may be a while until power is restored. Water outages are also a problem.
Typhoon 26 is now headed this way. The Japan Meteorological Agency is calling on the public to heed warnings.
The average number of storms per year in the area of Japan is 25, with an average of three making landfall in Japan.
June is usually rainy - it is the rainy season, after all. Some years are more rainy than others. There are earthquakes somewhere in Japan every day, often just small ones, but sometimes bigger ones. Where I live, typhoons usually happen from June through October, with the worst later in the season.
This year we are off to a big start. At the beginning of June, Typhoon 6 passed through, cancelling a planned three day trip to Tokyo, unfortunately. A few days later, a big earthquake in the Philippines set off tsunami warnings along the coast of Japan. I live fairly close to the coast, but not so close that it is usually scary. I read afterwards that the water came up one meter here.
Here are some earthquakes we felt this month where I live. Mid-month, with epicenter in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Last week, another earthquake that we felt, epicenter off the coast farther north.
The last few days we’ve been watching two typhoons - 7 and 8, travel toward us. They came from different directions, then their projected paths overlapped some hours apart. Where I live, Typhoon 8 arrived first, overnight Friday to Saturday and T7 Saturday. (Screenshot below from Friday evening).
About 10:30 pm Friday, while watching the storm, there was an earthquake that lasted longer than the usual little quakes.
I keep an emergency backpack near my door in case I have to leave quickly. Luckily, I’ve never had to do that. Sometimes I add things or take things out, or just check what’s in there because I forget. Being prepared is taken seriously in Japan.
What will July bring?
(Screenshots from the Japan Meteorological Agency website.)
