The Meteorological Agency announced Saturday that the rainy season was believed to have ended in the Kanto-Koshin and Tohoku regions, as high temperatures continue across a broad swath of the country.
The rainy season ended three days later than in an average year in the Kanto-Koshin region, the agency said. The region’s exit from the rainy season was also a day earlier than last year.
It wrapped up two days earlier in the southern Tohoku region and six days earlier in the northern Tohoku region. The Kanto-Koshin area entered the rainy season around June 8, while Tohoku kicked off the season around June 11.
The only remaining areas of Japan still experiencing a rainy season are the southern and northern Kyushu regions, the agency added. The rainy season ended for the Kinki region on Thursday, one day later than in an average year but three days earlier than in 2022.
The rainy season does not occur in Hokkaido, the nation's northernmost prefecture.
Temperatures in Tokyo hovered around 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Temperatures had jumped above 35 C in the capital earlier this week, triggering heatstroke concerns.
Precipitation in the Kanto-Koshin area from June 8 to Friday was 107.5 millimeters in Tokyo compared with an average of around 256.4 mm during this period, according to preliminary data examined by the Japan Weather Association. Totals for the Tohoku region from June 11 through Friday were estimated at 278 mm for Sendai, slightly more than the 242.1 mm average for this period and a whopping 506 mm in the city of Akita — more than double the 242.5 mm average, the association said.
Heavy rains hit Akita earlier this month, forcing many people to evacuate and causing widespread damage.