Two tropical storms brought heavy rains to parts of Japan on Saturday, with Level 4 landslide warnings issued earlier in the day for areas of Shizuoka, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, just a day after a powerful earthquake shook Yamanashi Prefecture.
Those warnings ¡ª including for a broad swath of southern and eastern Chiba Prefecture ¡ª were largely removed late Saturday as Tropical Storm Mekkhala skirted the prefecture and headed northeast into the Pacific Ocean.
Earlier Saturday, Tropical Storm Higos followed a similar path over waters south of Chiba Prefecture before moving out over the Pacific.
The Level 4 warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency is the second-highest, which means that the risk of landslide is extremely high and people should evacuate from affected areas. The JMA had urged the public to remain on high alert for landslides, swollen rivers and flooding in low-lying areas due to heavy rain.
The two storms helped shatter June records for rain in a number of areas in eastern and southern Chiba Prefecture, including 232 millimeters in the city of Choshi, 195 mm in the city of Kimitsu, 183 mm in the town of Kyonan, 170 mm in the city of Mobara and 167 mm in the city of Kamogawa over the 24 hours through 8:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the JMA.
The storms approached after Friday night¡¯s magnitude 5.6 earthquake, which jolted Yamanashi and its surrounding prefectures, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, causing damage to some structures and triggering concerns of further landslides amid the heavy rains.
The quake occurred at 10:29 p.m. at a depth of 20 kilometers. It registered a lower 6 on Japan¡¯s 7-point shind§à scale in the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture, an upper 5 in the city of Otsuki, and a lower 5 in some areas of Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectures. According to the JMA a lower 6 makes it difficult to stand, and unsecured furniture may fall over.
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