The Meteorological Agency warned of landslides, river flooding and inundation in low-lying areas in the Kyushu region and Yamaguchi Prefecture as heavy rain continued over the weekend.
A linear precipitation zone, or a band of cumulonimbus clouds that causes massive rainfall, occurred in Fukuoka Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture on Sunday, with the weather agency also warning of the possibility of such rainbands in Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures through Monday morning.
Wide areas of the country also experienced rainfall Sunday due to a stationary front extending from the Tsushima Strait through the Sanin region to the Kanto region.
Evacuation orders were issued in the city of Fukuoka, Kitakyushu and Munakata in Fukuoka Prefecture, as well as in the city of Yamaguchi and Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
West Japan Railway suspended all Sanyo Shinkansen services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations on Sunday afternoon for the rest of the day.
The weather agency said the stationary front is expected to linger until Tuesday, requiring caution over a wide area due to the possibility of heavy rain, lightning, strong gusts and hail.
In the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Monday, up to 300 millimeters of rain is expected in northern Kyushu, 250 mm in the Tokai and Shikoku regions, 200 mm in the Kanto-Koshin and Kinki regions, 180 mm in southern Kyushu, 120 mm in the Chugoku region and 100 mm in the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions.
In the following 24 hours through 6 a.m. Tuesday, the weather agency forecasts rainfall of 300 mm in the Shikoku region, 200 mm in the Kanto-Koshin, Tokai and Kinki regions, 150 mm in northern Kyushu, 100 mm in Hokuriku and southern Kyushu, and 80 mm in the Chugoku region.
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