Heavy rains hit the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast and the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan on Sunday, with record rainfall for September logged in Niigata, Toyama and other prefectures, disrupting some train services, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
By contrast, the weather was sunny on the Pacific coast from western to eastern Japan with temperatures topping 37 C in Yamanashi and Aichi prefectures, and hitting a record high for September of 37.4 C in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, the agency said.
Rainfall of 47.0 ml per hour was logged in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, and 44.0 mm in Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, both record highs for September, the agency said.
On the JR Shinetsu Line, services of an express train with sleeping berths were suspended for the day.
The agency warned of possible landslides and flooding, predicting that local thunderstorms with precipitation of 50-60 mm per hour could hit areas in Hokuriku from Sunday night to Monday morning and Tohoku from Monday morning to the evening.
Heavy rain of 30-40 mm per hour may also fall in a broad area from western to eastern Japan through Monday, it said.