Heatwave dramatically ends in record-breaking rainfall sparking floods & horror landslides with 300k evacuated in Japan

A BRUTAL heatwave has given way to a terrifying deluge in Japan, with record-breaking rain unleashing floods and landslides and forcing around 300,000 people to evacuate. Torrential rain battered eastern Japan on Thursday, triggering landslides, power cuts and transport chaos as officials issued their highest-level heavy rain warning for the region for the first time. Japan has been slapped with torrential rain for the first time after a blistering heatwave Credit: X/volcaholic1 Torrential rain battered eastern Japan on Thursday, triggering a flood of landslides Credit: AFP Shocking footage shows cars being swallowed whole by surging floodwater in a residential area of Kashiwa, Chiba, as the streets are transformed into a raging inland torrent. A terrifying whirlpool also spiralled, collecting rubbish amid the swollen floodwaters, churning violently as the deluge tore through the area. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! In another dramatic clip, a cyclist battles through the water, almost completely drenched and engulfed as they desperately pedal through the flooded streets. “This is shaping up to be an unprecedented level of heavy rain,” a Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) official told a news conference. “In areas hit by the localised rainfall, lives may be in imminent danger. Please secure your safety immediately,” the official said. More than 100,000 households, mainly in Chiba but also in Ibaraki and Saitama, were urged to evacuate, according to the disaster management agency. Hundreds were also left stranded at Chiba station after train services were suspended. In a staggering deluge, around 100mm (3.9in) of rain hammered the area around Sakura city in just one hour before 9pm, reports say. Most read in The Sun The agency’s top-level warning was issued across more than a dozen cities in Chiba, signalling a high likelihood of an imminent disaster. The torrential downpour also knocked out power to more than 10,000 households, while authorities reported landslides, mudslides and flooded homes across the region. A terrifying whirlpool also spiralled collecting rubbish amid the swollen floodwaters Credit: X/pradhyu Cars were almost entirely engulfed by the floodwaters Credit: X/Top_Disaster People battle through the floods Credit: X/RT_Breaking “This happened all of a sudden so it was a complete surprise. The power is out so I’m worried whether I can open my business in the next couple of days,” a woman in Chiba’s Ichikawa city told NHK. The weather horror comes just days after Japan was scorched by a savage heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 40C (104F) in some cities. More than 52,000 people have been sent to hospital with heatstroke and nearly 100 have died since the start of May, according to the latest data. Disgruntled female office workers in Japan even expressed their irritation as their male counterparts get their legs out as part of a government heatwave health initiative. Now the blistering heat has been broken by a relentless barrage of rain as a rare trio of Pacific storms batters East and South-East Asia. Typhoon Chan-Hom swept across Japan’s main island of Honshu after making landfall on Tuesday, hammering Tokyo and surrounding areas with ferocious rain. At least seven people suffered minor injuries, while a construction barrier collapsed along an expressway in Tochigi Prefecture and trapped a car, although nobody was hurt. Dozens of flights at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were cancelled as authorities warned of treacherous landslides and flooding. In Shibuya, the commercial heart of Tokyo, ominous storm clouds suddenly unleashed a downpour on pedestrians before the skies cleared again. The violent weather has also battered China, where Typhoon Dolphin swept into the country’s eastern and central regions after making landfall on Sunday. Dolphin has since weakened, but the battered storm is still dragging heavy rain inland, with Beijing braced for a potentially catastrophic deluge. More than 150mm (5.9in) of rain is expected across much of the capital between Tuesday evening and Thursday – more than a quarter of its average annual rainfall. The agency’s top-level warning was issued across more than a dozen cities in Chiba Credit: AFP More than 100,000 households, mainly in Chiba but also in Ibaraki and Saitama, were urged to evacuate Credit: X/Top_Disaster Some districts could see more than 200mm (7.9in) in just 24 hours, with flood warnings issued, train services suspended and reservoirs pushed beyond their flood-control limits. The Philippines has also been hammered by more than a week of relentless monsoon rain, with at least 26 people killed and thousands displaced. In some areas, more than a month’s worth of rain has fallen in just nine days, according to the country’s state weather bureau Pagasa. Floodwaters have swept rubbish towards the mouth of Manila Bay, creating a horrifying sea of garbage. The chaos comes as three typhoons — Dolphin, Chan-Hom and Peilou — formed in the region within days of one another, prompting Chinese state media to describe it as a rare “three-typhoon situation”. All three have since weakened, but another storm is now brewing. Typhoon No. 17, also known as Nangka, has formed near Japan’s southern islands and is being monitored by authorities in both Japan and the Philippines. The storm is expected to maintain its strength as it churns across the Pacific in the coming days, according to a JMA forecast. August is traditionally peak typhoon season across the north-western Pacific, but forecasters warn this year’s season could be particularly ferocious. London-based Tropical Storm Risk has predicted the season could become one of the most active on record, with storms potentially becoming more frequent and powerful. Japan’s weather nightmare is also threatening its biggest high-school baseball tournament, Koshien, which is being held near Osaka from August 5 to 22. The tournament is renowned for its brutal summer conditions, with last year’s players forced from the field on stretchers after suffering heat exhaustion. One scheduled game has already been postponed until tomorrow as the country battles the latest weather assault. Comment now