Japan has experienced the strongest tornado in its recorded history after a devastating twister tore through Shizuoka prefecture.
Classified as a JEF3, level 3 out of 5 on Japan’s tornado intensity scale, the tornado packed wind gusts of up to 168mph last Friday, injuring 89 people and leaving a trail of destruction. The hardest hit areas included Makinohara and Yoshida, where vehicles were overturned and more than 1,200 structures were damaged. Since records began in 1961, Japan has experienced 13 level 3 tornadoes, but none have reached level 4.
The tornado occurred as a result of unstable conditions from Tropical Storm Peipah, which made landfall in Japan’s Kōchi prefecture on the same day, striking near the city of Sukomo. The storm unleashed torrential rain and powerful winds, causing damage across the region. Peipah injured 24 people, damaged or destroyed more than 40 homes and knocked out power to nearly 14,000 residents.
Before the storm, authorities issued evacuation orders affecting more than 600,000 residents, urging caution against flooding and landslides. Shimokitayama, a village in Nara prefecture, recorded 80mm of rain in one hour, while in the city of Kumano 63mm of ran fell within the same timeframe.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Kiko, once a powerful category 4 hurricane in the eastern Pacific, weakened to a tropical storm as it skirted past Hawaii this week. Kiko, which formed on 31 August, had sustained wind speeds of 110mph on Sunday as it dropped to category 2 strength. By Tuesday, the system was officially downgraded to tropical storm status.
Kiko veered north of the Hawaiian islands and by Wednesday its remnants hovered near the northern tip of Kaua’i, with sustained winds falling by about 40mph as the storm continued to lose strength. Kiko’s presence is still being felt across the state, though, with forecasters predicting large storm swells, locally heavy rainfall, gusty winds and dangerous rip currents. These hazardous conditions still pose serious risks to surfers and beachgoers alike.
