The city of Tokyo reached 34 consecutive days of rain on Tuesday, beating the record set in 2019, when there were 33 consecutive rainy days, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which has kept these records since 1886. The rainfall in Tokyo is monitored from an observation site in the Chiyoda Ward.
The JMA forecasts rain for Tokyo on Wednesday and Thursday, which would extend the streak even further.
The current period began on August 27, when Tokyo received 5 millimeters of rain. While many days registered light rainfall, two typhoons brought heavy rainfall in September. Typhoon Krovanh dumped more than 150 mm of rain in total between September 6 and 7, while the subsequent Typhoon Dujuan peaked at 156 mm on September 21.
Read more: Japan enters maximum alert as Typhoon Dujuan, the year’s 25th typhoon, passes
That latest storm caused floods and landslides in the Kanto region, killing at least 10 people and causing extensive damage to buildings, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Now, the country is preparing for the arrival of Typhoon Surigae, which is moving northeast and could potentially make landfall and bring heavy rains again to the Kanto region, especially in Chiba Prefecture, which is still recovering from the impact of Dujuan.
Tokyo received an unusually high amount of rain throughout the year and in September. By Monday, the Japanese capital had recorded 629 mm of rainfall in September, the second highest for the month since records began. Total rainfall for the year up to September 28 was 1,949.5 mm, which is already the third highest annual total since 1951.
There were also more rainy days. Tokyo recorded four days with at least 100 mm of precipitation and six days with at least 70 mm so far this year, both tied for the highest numbers in a year since 1875.
The prolonged rainfall also led to historically low levels of sunshine. In the last month, central Tokyo received 46.8 hours of sunshine in total, representing only 36% of the annual average for the same period. During the rain sequence, there were 14 days without any sun.
