Tropical Storm Lupit has been pounding western Japan with strong winds and heavy rain. People are being advised to remain vigilant against possible mudslides and floods.
The Meteorological Agency says Lupit made landfall in Hiroshima Prefecture shortly after 5 a.m. on Monday. It first made landfall in Kagoshima Prefecture on Sunday night before moving over the Seto Inland Sea.
The agency says that as of 6 a.m. on Monday, Lupit was situated 70 kilometers south-southwest of Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, and was traveling northeast at 45 kilometers per hour.
Lupit is packing winds of up to 82.8 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 126 kilometers per hour.
At around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, wind of 129.6 kilometers per hour was observed on the coast of Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture.
Over a one-hour period through 6 a.m. on Monday, 57 millimeters of rain fell in Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Over a six-hour period through 6 a.m. on Monday, 175 millimeters of rain hit an area in Hiroshima City. That was above the area’s average precipitation for the whole of August.
Mudslide alerts are in place in some parts of Hiroshima, Shimane, Ehime and Oita prefectures. Some rivers in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures are above their flood warning levels.
The storm is expected to pass through the Chugoku region before turning into a low pressure system over the Sea of Japan.
Caution against more downpours is advised in western Japan on Monday. People in eastern and northern Japan should also stay on alert for heavy rain through Tuesday.
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