Japan braces for torrential rain, transport chaos as storms approach

Japan ordered the evacuation of about 1 million people as torrential rain from Tropical Storms Mekkhala and Higos shut more than 200 flights, dozens of train services and several expressways across western and southern regions. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that a stationary seasonal rain front, fed by warm, moist air from both storms, was intensifying the risk of landslides, floods and swollen rivers. Toyota briefly halted operations at one factory in southern Kyushu as the weather threat spread from transport networks into industrial production.

Flight cancellations topped 200, rail suspensions reached dozens of services, and highway closures cut through the same corridors where heavy rain was most concentrated. The worst conditions were centered in western and southern Japan, where the stalled front and tropical moisture prolonged downpours over the same communities, slopes and river basins.

Taiwan faced the same weather pattern on the other side of the island chain. The Central Weather Administration warned that torrential rain would continue across western Taiwan because an unstable front and southwesterly winds were still in place, with Mekkhala’s outer bands worsening conditions near Okinawa Prefecture and the Ryukyu Islands. About 6 million people were forced off work or school, and authorities warned of landslides, flooding and swollen rivers as the rain belt remained anchored over populated areas.

The downpours killed at least two people and triggered widespread flooding. Mekkhala had been downgraded from typhoon strength as it passed near Taiwan, but the weakening of the storm did not ease the danger on the ground, where the rain front and warm flow kept the threat alive.