Worst Japanese Flood In Decades Kills 200, More Missing

Massive flooding in Japan this week. Photo via STR/AFP Getty Images

I've been watching the flooding in Japan this week, and decided it really needs a post, as it is certainly one of the worst weather disasters to hit the world this year, if not the worst.

At least 200 people died, and many more are missing after incredible rains last week in western Japan. The rain has mostly stopped and water is receding, but the immense damage is done.

According to a Category 6 blog post by Bob Henson, the came when a relatively weak typhoon passed just to the west of Japan. This set up a very wet flow of super moist air coming into western Japan. Then a weather front stalled over the region, unleashing the heavy rains.

And boy, were they heavy. A weather station in Sukomo reported 4.25 inches of rain in just an hour, and 10.35 inches in three hours. Some areas received a storm total of more than 20 inches of rain.

The obvious result was widespread flash flooding and many, many mudslides in the hilly region of Japan. At least 4,600 homes were destroyed and millions evacuated.

Even though the water is draining away now, damaged roads and rail lines are preventing supplies from getting into some of the hardest hit areas.

One resident said:  The floodwaters were up o"ver my house, probably reaching 4 or 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) up past the roof all the way to the TV antenna."

This must have reminded people of Japan's worst modern disaster, the epic earthquake and massive tsunami of March, 2011.

Cleanup and recovery now is being hampered by oppressive heat and humidity. It's the 90s in the hardest hit areas with dewpoints in the 70s. Much like during the heat wave we had here in Vermont a week or two back.

Here are a couple videos of the flooding:




Not sure about the guy in the upper right hand corner watching the video with the rest of us, but, w
whatever