Heavy rainfall and strong winds continued to hit Japan on Friday as a powerful tropical storm moved over the Sea of Japan after ripping through the western part of the country the previous day.
Tropical Storm Krosa, which has left two men dead and about 50 people injured, also caused warnings to be issued for landslides and floods and stranded some 1,700 passengers at Kansai International Airport in Osaka throughout the night, with 232 domestic and international flights canceled. The main international air gateway in western Japan was crippled by Typhoon Jebi in September last year.
As of 3 p.m. Friday, the tropical storm was about 340 kilometers west-southwest of Okushiri Island, Hokkaido, moving north-northeast at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour with an atmospheric pressure of 980 hectopascals at its center and packing winds of up to 126 kph, according to the Meteorological Agency.
It is expected to be downgraded to an extratropical cyclone by early Saturday.
In addition to heavy rains, the storm caused high temperatures in a phenomenon known as foehn wind, in which moist air becomes warm and dry after crossing a mountain and blows down on the lee side.
In Nikaho, Akita Prefecture, the mercury shot up to 36.5 C at 6:18 a.m. Friday, while in the city of Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, Thursday’s lowest temperature was 31.3 C, a record high for a minimum temperature in the country.
On Friday morning, a 71-year-old man was found dead in the Chikusa River in Hyogo Prefecture after being swept away by the rising river the previous day while fishing.
In Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, an 82-year-old man was confirmed dead after falling into the sea Thursday morning, apparently due to the strong wind, while tying up a boat.
A total of 49 people were injured from Wednesday through Thursday in 13 prefectures, while evacuations were ordered in 15 prefectures in western and southwestern Japan, according to a Kyodo News tally, as well as data provided by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Among the injured, a woman in her 60s in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, hit her hip after being blown over by strong wind on Wednesday. A man in his 60s sustained head injuries after falling from his bicycle.
A 65-year-old male guard’s index and middle fingers were severed by a closing door in the parking lot of a commercial facility in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, due to powerful winds caused by the storm.
In Shikoku, strong winds and rain triggered a large rock slide that closed a main road in a mountain valley.
At the Kansai airport terminal building on Thursday night, long lines were formed by passengers looking to receive the free drinking water and sleeping bags that were distributed.
The airport operator had stocked such items for 12,000 people after the typhoon last September left about 8,000 people stranded when strong winds caused a tanker vessel to crash into the sole bridge connecting the airport, which is located on a man-made island in Osaka Bay.
“We didn’t have enough money to stay at a hotel, so it was a relief to be given a sleeping bag,” said Seiya Kurokawa, a 20-year-old university student who was scheduled to travel to Thailand.
In the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Saturday, the weather agency was forecasting 250 millimeters of rain in Hokkaido, 150 mm in the Tohoku region and 120 mm in the Tokai area.
Hokkaido is also forecast to see gusts of 126 kph, while the Tohoku, Hokuriku and Kinki regions will see winds at a speed of 108 kph, the agency said.