Tropical Storm Maria is forecast to make landfall in the Tohoku region on Monday, with the slow-moving system crossing over to the Sea of Japan while bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
Rated by the Meteorological Agency as a severe tropical storm ¡ª one level below a typhoon ¡ª Maria is expected to maintain its strength as it moves over land. Landfall is likely near the border between Miyagi and Iwate prefectures.
Only two previous tropical storms on record have made landfall on Tohoku¡¯s Pacific coast: one in August 2016 and the other in July 2021. The former caused severe damage, including nine deaths at a flooded facility for the elderly.
The agency urged residents to be on alert for landslides, rising and overflowing rivers and flooding in low-lying areas, as well as strong winds and high waves.
It added that a linear rain band could form in the Tohoku region, increasing the risk of damage. Total rainfall in the area could exceed the average amount seen for the entire month of August in a normal year, the agency said.
With the storm approaching during the country¡¯s Bon summer holiday period, an agency official also called on people to be flexible and possibly reconsider their travel plans.
JR East said the Tohoku, Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen lines could be delayed or suspended on Monday. Road closures are also possible on the Tohoku Expressway. As of Sunday evening, Japan Airlines had canceled 78 flights, while All Nippon Airways had canceled eight, according to NHK. More flights departing from and arriving in the Tohoku region are expected to be impacted.
Meanwhile, Satoshi Omatsu, head of the land ministry¡¯s river management office, noted that some levees in Yamagata and Akita prefectures have not been fully repaired after major flooding in late July. ¡°It is necessary to be on higher alert,¡± Omatsu warned.
Some municipalities ordered evacuations as early as Sunday afternoon. The Iwate Prefecture city of Kuji issued an evacuation order to its over 31,000 residents, with shelters being established at 24 locations. The town of Iwaizumi, also in Iwate, issued an evacuation order to its nearly 8,000 residents.
As of Sunday evening, the storm was over the Pacific Ocean southeast of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, moving northwest at 10 kph. With a central pressure of 980 hectopascals, it carried maximum sustained winds of 90 kph and gusts of up to 126 kph. The weather agency said that even after the storm weakens, it may linger in the region and continue to bring rain.
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