The rainy season appears to have started in Okinawa and Amami, the Meteorological Agency said Saturday.

The start is four days later than average for Okinawa and two days later for Kagoshima Prefecture's Amami, but three days earlier than last year for both regions, according to the agency.

The agency forecasts rainy and cloudy weather will continue for about a week due to a front in the regions.

In an average year, the rainy season ends around June 23 in Okinawa and around June 29 for the Amami region comprising the Amami island chain. Last year, the end of the season in the regions was declared on June 16 and June 18, respectively.