After the Storm

 

Yesterday, Typhoon 15 moved across Japan. It rained incredibly hard, and there was some thunder and lightning mid-day, but the storm moved across the country pretty quickly. When the storm passed, this was my view of Mt. Fuji. I went out for a little walk and saw other people doing the same. The streams were full of water and moving swiftly, but there was very little debris anywhere. Usually after a typhoon, there are sticks and leaves and stuff that was blown off people’s porches and balconies. I think the storm passed by too quickly to make much of a mess. After the storm, it’s a fresh new day.

Japan's First Typhoon Research Institute

Typhoons cause a lot of damage every year in Japan. Earlier this month a research institute dedicated to studying typhoons opened at Yokohama National University, which is the first of its kind in Japan. The Typhoon Science and Technology Research Center brings experts from private and government sectors, in addition to experts from academia together in order to predict damage caused by the storms and to develop countermeasures.  

Another goal of the research center is to promote research into making typhoons into a source of renewable energy. The head of the center, Hironori Fudeyasu said "As a researcher, I have felt a sense of defeat looking at the great damage brought about by typhoons." In addition to being the head of the new research institute, Mr. Fudeyasu is a professor of meteorology at the university. 

The center's members include researchers from the University of Tokyo, Keio University, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, the University of the Ryukyus, and the Meteorological Research Institute.  Also participating are Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting LLC from the private sector. 

This has not been a bad typhoon year where I live. I always check the typhoon situation on the JMA website, which is very helpful. 

In other areas of the world these storms are called hurricanes or cyclones. Have the storms been bad this year where you live?

Typhoons and Hurricanes in 2020

This is a strange year for so many reasons, including weather.  In Japan, we had a long wet rainy season this year, now followed by high temperatures. This year, we had no typhoons hit the four main islands through August. Now Typhoon 10, the first to hit Japan this year, is making its way across the southern island of Kyushu.  

In the United States, there are many hurricanes this year. I read that September 10th is considered the mid-point of the Atlantic hurricane season and the typical year has 12 named storms.  As of September 3rd, there have been 15 named Atlantic tropical storms! 

The Atlantic storms are named alphabetically, beginning with "A" every season. The names are determined in advance by the World Meteorological Organization. There are 21 possible names each season because Q, U, X, Y, and Z are skipped with few names beginning with those letters. It is not common for there to be more than 21 named storms in a year, but if all 21 one names are used in a year, the names go to the Greek alphabet. Storm 22 will be Alpha, storm 23 Beta, and so on. Since naming began, this has only happened one time, in the year 2005, when there were 28 named storms.  

When storms are very deadly or costly, the names are retired and not used in future years.  Some of the names retired are Irma and Maria (2017), Sandy (2012), Katrina (2005), and Mitch (1998).