4 days ago
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
Tokyo was hit by a torrential downpour Thursday evening during rush hour, with the Meteorological Agency warning residents to prepare for heavy rain, flooding and lightning.
The agency recorded 120 millimeters of rain in Suginami Ward and about 100 mm in Setagaya Ward around 7 p.m. — enough to cause disasters. The agency only announces warnings of this kind when there is enough rain in a short period of time to trigger landslides or flooding.
The weather agency is forecasting up to 150 mm of rain in the 24 hours through 6 p.m. Friday in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, and 100 mm for the Koshin region of Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures.
The Tokyo Fire Department received a call that a vehicle driving into a flooded underpass in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward was stalled, NHK reported, adding that first responders are trying to rescue people possibly trapped in the car.
In Shibuya, crowds struggled to enter and exit the JR station as water collected around the entrances.
Tokaido Shinkansen service was suspended due to the rain between Tokyo and Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture.
