Chiba Rains Kill 9 and Flood 1,000 Homes After 300mm Deluge

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 16

Nine people have died in eastern Japan after torrential rain pounded Chiba, where more than 1,000 households reported flooding and roads and rail services were badly disrupted.
300mm of rain fell in 24 hours at one Chiba weather station, making it the area’s wettest August in six decades and prompting the region’s first top-level heavy rain warning.
More than 70 houses were partially destroyed, nearly 600 homes saw water rise above floorboards, and about 1,200 cars were left stranded on roads as authorities worked to clear them.
Chiba city had already logged more than three times its typical August rainfall by Friday morning, while landslide warnings and power outages underscored the storm’s wider impact.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme rainfall events more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense.