Tropical Storm Talas (2011)
Encyclopedia
Severe Tropical Storm TalasAccording to advisories from the JMA, Talas at peak strength was a typhoon (120 km/h, 75 mph). However, the JMA downgraded Talas to a severe tropical storm (95 km/h, 60 mph) in RSMC Best Track Data. (international designation: 1112, JTWC
designation: 15W) was an unusually large but weak tropical cyclone that caused many deaths and severe damage to Japan. It was the 12th named storm and the 7th severe tropical storm of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season. Talas is known to have killed at least 73 people, and 20 more are still missing. The word Talas is a Filipino
word meaning sharpness. It followed five months after Japan was hit by a large tsunami
.
Throughout Japan, Talas brought heavy rainfall leaving roads flood
ed. Extremely heavy rainfall of 66.5 millimeters per hour was observed, with rainfall of 69.0 mm in Yamanakako, Yamanashi
, and 49.5 mm in Ichinoseki, Iwate
which exceeded overall records for the entire month of September. Some 3,200 people were evacuated in 16 prefectures after extremely heavy rain. Some 700 houses were completely inundated by floods in eastern and western Japan and about 9,500 households in nine prefectures across the nation suffered power outage
s. More than 400 flights were cancelled leaving approximately 34,000 stranded.
. At midnight that day, the system became sufficiently well organized that the JMA started tracking it as a tropical depression. On August 23, the system moved into an environment of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures prompting the JTWC to issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on it. By August 25, the system grew strong enough that the JMA upgraded it to a tropical storm, naming it Talas. Soon the system developed long and expansive convective banding along the eastern and south-western periphery of the broad low level circulation center, similar to a monsoonal depression. The JTWC initiated advisories on the system, designating it with 15W. The JTWC originally anticipated a fujiwhara effect
of Typhoon Nanmadol, a stronger tropical cyclone to the west of Talas.
However, the five cyclones moved far away from each other with at least 1000 nautical miles (1,852 km) of distance between them. This prompted the JTWC to change its forecast on the system, from turning west and interacting with Nanmadol, to continuously move north and intensify into a typhoon. This prompted the JMA to upgrade Talas to a severe tropical storm with winds of 50 knots (27.2 m/s). Multiple competitive steering ridges caused Talas to move in a poleward direction with stronger winds in the periphery and weaker winds near the center. A tropical upper tropospheric trough
(TUTT) caused subsidance
in the atmosphere which caused a disturbance in the outflow towards the northwest of the system. However, another TUTT cell to the northeast opened an outflow channel which kept Talas from being destroyed by shear. Talas was very loosely organized with a relatively open circulation center and very low consolidation around the core. Convection was also displaced towards the periphery and stronger wind shear kept Talas from strengthening.
Talas, being located in a very weak steering environment hardly moved in 24 hours and was effectively trapped between strong subtropical ridge
s and an anticyclone
. Talas failed to strengthen for a very long time and remained loosely organized with all the convection located in the periphery. Early on August 28, Talas started to strengthen after a whole day in dry winds. The low-level circulation center started to get consolidated with deep convective bands wrapping into it. Talas was expected to make landfall over central Japan with strong winds. Talas then moved into an environment favorable for slow development, with moist winds and significantly warm sea surface temperatures. The center became well organized with convective bands tightly wrapped into it. Wind shear decreased and the center was wrapped with more tightly curved banding. The JTWC reported that there was more confidence in the strength and position of the system. They JTWC reported that they were expecting a peak intensity of 90 knots (49 m/s). Though the JTWC was still monitoring Talas as a tropical storm, the JMA upgraded it to a typhoon with winds of over 65 knots (35.4 m/s) ranging out to more than 325 nautical miles (601.9 km).
Soon, the subtropical ridge to the west of the storm weakened and the subtropical ridge to the east of the system pushed Talas to the west. As a result, Talas accelerated towards the west maintaining strength and outflow. An upper-level cyclone over the system suppressed the convection and kept it from reaching the center. Therefore, Talas remained weak and did not strengthen further. Convection never managed to consolidate the center and convective banding remained well away from the fully exposed low-level circulation center. Convective banding completely encircled the LLCC but never managed to consolidate over the LLCC because of the strong upper-lever cyclone over the storm. Talas was being steered by a mid-level anticyclone
, a part of the developing omega block. On September 1, Talas developed a large annulus of nearly 110 nautical miles (203.7 km) in diameter with multiple weak circulations cyclonically rotating around a centroid within the center. Fragmented deep convective banding broadly wrapped the low-level circulation center with an upper-level cyclone over the center and anticyclon
ic flow around the periphery of the storm.
Soon, Talas turned towards the Kansai
region of Japan maintaining intensity with cloud tops warming around the expansive, nearly cloud-free 140 nautical miles (259.3 km) wide low level circulation center (LLCC). Gale force winds were extending to over 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) towards the north. The convective banding continued to expand more and more with the outer rainbands already brushing parts of Japan. Coastal areas in the nation have already reported gale force winds several hours before landfall, while the Omega block continued to drive Talas towards the nation. Land interaction weakened Talas, prompting the JMA to downgrade Talas from a typhoon to a severe tropical storm with winds of under 60 knots (32.7 m/s).
On September 2, Talas accelerated towards Japan and started making landfall over Kōchi Prefecture
, Japan. As a result, convective cloud tops started to warm up and banding became more fragmented. Talas maintained its large annulus with better poleward outflow enhanced by the strong mid latitude westerlies
. After making landfall over Aki
, Japan early on September 3, Talas moved into an area of moderate wind shear (15-20 knots) along the western edge of a deep-layered subtropical ridge with a mid-latitude trough approaching from the northwest. As a result, the LLCC started weakening and slowed down over land. Also, the mid-latitude trough located to the northwest of the system started to weaken, which made the JTWC anticipate Talas to turn northwestward and accelerate as it enters the Sea of Japan
. However, Talas slowly drifted north and entered an area of strong wind shear (30 - 50 knots). On becoming exposed to wind shear and strong upper-level westerlies, Talas became grossly elongated to the northeast and convective banding became more shallow and fragmented. On entering the cold waters of the Sea of Japan, Talas accelerated north at over 13 knots (7.1 m/s). The central convection became significantly eroded and was displaced to the north-east as Talas was exposed to a very strong wind shear of over 50 knots (27.2 m/s) that made the LLCC very distorted and difficult to pin-point. Talas was embedded in a baroclinic zone and the JTWC anticipated an extratropical transition, which prompted them to issue their final warning on the system. On September 5, the JMA issued their final warning on the system, reporting that Talas has become extratropical on the Sea of Japan.
, Japan
were informed to stay updated and stock up for Talas. Heavy rains and strong winds which could trigger flash flooding and landslides were expected. Also, a strong rainstorm of 50 millimetres (2 in) – 70 millimetres (2.8 in) per hour was expected. Talas was expected to cause rainfall and strong winds for an unusually long period of time because of its slow movement. Worries grew as the typhoon was heading towards the area which was previously devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
. Parts of Tohoku where the tsunami occurred are still in ruins.
Talas slowed down on approaching Japan, bringing heavy rainfall to the southern coast. In Shunan, Yamaguchi
, extremely heavy rainfall of 66.5 millimeters per hour was observed, with rainfall of 69.0 mm in Yamanakako, Yamanashi
, and 49.5 mm in Ichinoseki, Iwate
which exceeded overall records for the entire month of September. As the typhoon approached, The Fujisankei Classic
, an annual golf event on the Japan Golf Tour
was disrupted by the heavy rain. Heavy rains triggered flash flooding, which killed one person, and injured 17 leaving three more missing soon after the landfall. Some 3,200 people were evacuated in 16 prefectures after the typhoon slammed the island nation with extremely heavy rains. The Central Japan Railway Company
had to suspend its bullet train services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Gifu-Hashima
and Maibara railway stations because of the storm. More than 300 houses were flooded while several landslides were reported since the storm's landfall in southern Japan. Also, since the storm was moving unusually slow, it worsened the condition. NHK confirmed that the number of dead was 27, the number of injured was 106 and the number of missing was 49. Some 700 houses were completely inundated by the floodwaters spawned by Talas in eastern and western Japan and about 9,500 households in nine prefectures across the nation were without power after power outages. More than 400 flights were cancelled leaving some 34,000 stranded. Most of the devastation occurred in Osaka
, where a flooded river washed away two complete houses and a landslide destroyed four houses. Extremely heavy rainfall of as high as 170 centimetres (66.9 in) was dumped over Osaka since Talas approached Japan. The heavy rainfall triggered obvious flooding in the rivers, but so extreme that an entire bridge was washed away.
Talas poured record rainfall across the nation stranding thousands, turning towns into lakes and washed away cars, setting off mudslides. The storm also damaged the Nijō Castle
, a flatland castle located in Kyoto
, Japan. On September 5, Japanese rescue workers started digging through the debris to look for the missing since the number of missing is unusually high. Death toll continued to rise after the intense mudslides and flooding triggered by Talas. CNN
reported that local authorities raised the death toll to 29 and the number of missing to 56. The Japanese government started an emergency search-and-rescue operation to begin reconstruction of damaged communities and to find those missing. Ever since the typhoon approached land, Talas continuously dumped heavy rain over the Wakayama
, Nara and Mie
prefectures turning a large portion of the area to swamps. More than 750 Self-Defense Forces have been deployed in order to help local police and firefighters with the rescue and search operations. Talas broke a record of 1322 millimetres (52 in) rainfall that fell on the southern town of Takachiho
in Miyazaki Prefecture
in September 2005. Talas's rainfall also exceeded the year round average of rainfall that falls over the city of Tokyo. Most of the deaths were reported in Wakayama Prefecture where at least 17 people are reported to have been killed. The typhoon caused most of the substantial damage in the Kii Peninsula, that is located just a few hundreds of kilometers south of the tsunami-ravaged coast. The death toll continued to rise rapidly and on the same day, Kyodo News
updated the number of deaths to 32 and the number of missing to 57. Japan's newly elected Prime Minister
Yoshihiko Noda
said "We will do everything we can to rescue people and search for the missing". Both remnants of Talas and the outflow of Tropical Storm Noru together brought heavy rainfall of over 400 mm in Hokkaido
.
Electric and telephone lines in Mie, Nara and Wakayama prefectures were damaged, leaving some 194,000 households in the Kansai Electric Power Company
's area with power outages. On September 6, aid-laden helicopters landed in the hardest-hit areas while police, firefighters and soldiers started clearing roads and debris so that they could distribute food, medicine and other assistance. However, thousands of people remained isolated for a long time because of the bad conditions of the roads, that prevented rescue workers from quickly reaching the victims. Relief materials such as canned food, rice balls, and drinking water were being supplied to the victims since the operation was stared. Talas death toll continued to rise rapidly since the landfall. On September 7, the death toll was said to have increased to 40 with 50 people still missing. Later the same day, death toll continued to rise and reached 54 after reports from the search and rescue operations listed more people as dead. Soon, Air Worldwide reported that the total losses caused by Talas in Japan could have exceeded US$ 600 million. On September 8, death toll rose to rose to 59, while 50 others were still missing. Hundreds more remained stranded after several roads were damaged by the typhoon.
diameter throughout its life. As a result, it induced moisture advection
for many hours causing record breaking rainfall in western to northern Japan, especially near the mountainous regions. The total amount of the precipitation
exceeded 1000 millimetres (39.4 in) in the Kii Peninsula
. Also, rainfall in Nara Prefecture
exceeded 1652.5 millimetres (65.1 in) setting a nationwide heavy rainfall record in Japan. Altogether, the total amount of the precipitation from Talas in some areas was estimated to be over 2000 millimetres (78.7 in).
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
designation: 15W) was an unusually large but weak tropical cyclone that caused many deaths and severe damage to Japan. It was the 12th named storm and the 7th severe tropical storm of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season. Talas is known to have killed at least 73 people, and 20 more are still missing. The word Talas is a Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
word meaning sharpness. It followed five months after Japan was hit by a large tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.
Throughout Japan, Talas brought heavy rainfall leaving roads flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ed. Extremely heavy rainfall of 66.5 millimeters per hour was observed, with rainfall of 69.0 mm in Yamanakako, Yamanashi
Yamanakako, Yamanashi
is a village located in Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 5,356 and a density of 101.42 persons per km². The total area is 52.81 km².-External links:*...
, and 49.5 mm in Ichinoseki, Iwate
Ichinoseki, Iwate
is a city located towards the south of Iwate Prefecture, Japan and situated on the Iwai River. After Morioka and Ōshū, it is the third largest city in the prefecture.-Description:...
which exceeded overall records for the entire month of September. Some 3,200 people were evacuated in 16 prefectures after extremely heavy rain. Some 700 houses were completely inundated by floods in eastern and western Japan and about 9,500 households in nine prefectures across the nation suffered power outage
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
s. More than 400 flights were cancelled leaving approximately 34,000 stranded.
Meteorological history
Late on August 22, an area of low pressure developed to the west of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. At midnight that day, the system became sufficiently well organized that the JMA started tracking it as a tropical depression. On August 23, the system moved into an environment of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures prompting the JTWC to issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on it. By August 25, the system grew strong enough that the JMA upgraded it to a tropical storm, naming it Talas. Soon the system developed long and expansive convective banding along the eastern and south-western periphery of the broad low level circulation center, similar to a monsoonal depression. The JTWC initiated advisories on the system, designating it with 15W. The JTWC originally anticipated a fujiwhara effect
Fujiwhara effect
The Fujiwhara effect or Fujiwara interaction, named after Sakuhei Fujiwhara, is a type of interaction between two nearby cyclonic vortices, causing them to appear to "orbit" each other.-Description:...
of Typhoon Nanmadol, a stronger tropical cyclone to the west of Talas.
However, the five cyclones moved far away from each other with at least 1000 nautical miles (1,852 km) of distance between them. This prompted the JTWC to change its forecast on the system, from turning west and interacting with Nanmadol, to continuously move north and intensify into a typhoon. This prompted the JMA to upgrade Talas to a severe tropical storm with winds of 50 knots (27.2 m/s). Multiple competitive steering ridges caused Talas to move in a poleward direction with stronger winds in the periphery and weaker winds near the center. A tropical upper tropospheric trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) caused subsidance
Subsidence (atmosphere)
Subsidence in the Earth's atmosphere is most commonly caused by low temperatures: as air cools, it becomes denser and moves towards the ground, just as warm air becomes less dense and moves upwards...
in the atmosphere which caused a disturbance in the outflow towards the northwest of the system. However, another TUTT cell to the northeast opened an outflow channel which kept Talas from being destroyed by shear. Talas was very loosely organized with a relatively open circulation center and very low consolidation around the core. Convection was also displaced towards the periphery and stronger wind shear kept Talas from strengthening.
Talas, being located in a very weak steering environment hardly moved in 24 hours and was effectively trapped between strong subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
s and an anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
. Talas failed to strengthen for a very long time and remained loosely organized with all the convection located in the periphery. Early on August 28, Talas started to strengthen after a whole day in dry winds. The low-level circulation center started to get consolidated with deep convective bands wrapping into it. Talas was expected to make landfall over central Japan with strong winds. Talas then moved into an environment favorable for slow development, with moist winds and significantly warm sea surface temperatures. The center became well organized with convective bands tightly wrapped into it. Wind shear decreased and the center was wrapped with more tightly curved banding. The JTWC reported that there was more confidence in the strength and position of the system. They JTWC reported that they were expecting a peak intensity of 90 knots (49 m/s). Though the JTWC was still monitoring Talas as a tropical storm, the JMA upgraded it to a typhoon with winds of over 65 knots (35.4 m/s) ranging out to more than 325 nautical miles (601.9 km).
Soon, the subtropical ridge to the west of the storm weakened and the subtropical ridge to the east of the system pushed Talas to the west. As a result, Talas accelerated towards the west maintaining strength and outflow. An upper-level cyclone over the system suppressed the convection and kept it from reaching the center. Therefore, Talas remained weak and did not strengthen further. Convection never managed to consolidate the center and convective banding remained well away from the fully exposed low-level circulation center. Convective banding completely encircled the LLCC but never managed to consolidate over the LLCC because of the strong upper-lever cyclone over the storm. Talas was being steered by a mid-level anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
, a part of the developing omega block. On September 1, Talas developed a large annulus of nearly 110 nautical miles (203.7 km) in diameter with multiple weak circulations cyclonically rotating around a centroid within the center. Fragmented deep convective banding broadly wrapped the low-level circulation center with an upper-level cyclone over the center and anticyclon
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
ic flow around the periphery of the storm.
Soon, Talas turned towards the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
region of Japan maintaining intensity with cloud tops warming around the expansive, nearly cloud-free 140 nautical miles (259.3 km) wide low level circulation center (LLCC). Gale force winds were extending to over 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) towards the north. The convective banding continued to expand more and more with the outer rainbands already brushing parts of Japan. Coastal areas in the nation have already reported gale force winds several hours before landfall, while the Omega block continued to drive Talas towards the nation. Land interaction weakened Talas, prompting the JMA to downgrade Talas from a typhoon to a severe tropical storm with winds of under 60 knots (32.7 m/s).
On September 2, Talas accelerated towards Japan and started making landfall over Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, Japan. As a result, convective cloud tops started to warm up and banding became more fragmented. Talas maintained its large annulus with better poleward outflow enhanced by the strong mid latitude westerlies
Westerlies
The Westerlies, anti-trades, or Prevailing Westerlies, are the prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude, blowing from the high pressure area in the horse latitudes towards the poles. These prevailing winds blow from the west to the east, and steer extratropical...
. After making landfall over Aki
Aki, Kochi
is a city located in Kōchi, Japan on the island of Shikoku.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 19,882 and the density of 64.4 persons per km². The total area is 317.34 km². The heart of Aki city is located along the Japan National Route 55 and faces the Pacific Ocean to the south...
, Japan early on September 3, Talas moved into an area of moderate wind shear (15-20 knots) along the western edge of a deep-layered subtropical ridge with a mid-latitude trough approaching from the northwest. As a result, the LLCC started weakening and slowed down over land. Also, the mid-latitude trough located to the northwest of the system started to weaken, which made the JTWC anticipate Talas to turn northwestward and accelerate as it enters the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. However, Talas slowly drifted north and entered an area of strong wind shear (30 - 50 knots). On becoming exposed to wind shear and strong upper-level westerlies, Talas became grossly elongated to the northeast and convective banding became more shallow and fragmented. On entering the cold waters of the Sea of Japan, Talas accelerated north at over 13 knots (7.1 m/s). The central convection became significantly eroded and was displaced to the north-east as Talas was exposed to a very strong wind shear of over 50 knots (27.2 m/s) that made the LLCC very distorted and difficult to pin-point. Talas was embedded in a baroclinic zone and the JTWC anticipated an extratropical transition, which prompted them to issue their final warning on the system. On September 5, the JMA issued their final warning on the system, reporting that Talas has become extratropical on the Sea of Japan.
Preparations
As the storm strengthened into a typhoon, the residents of TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
were informed to stay updated and stock up for Talas. Heavy rains and strong winds which could trigger flash flooding and landslides were expected. Also, a strong rainstorm of 50 millimetres (2 in) – 70 millimetres (2.8 in) per hour was expected. Talas was expected to cause rainfall and strong winds for an unusually long period of time because of its slow movement. Worries grew as the typhoon was heading towards the area which was previously devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. Parts of Tohoku where the tsunami occurred are still in ruins.
Impact
| Casualties | Damage (USD) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | Missing | ||
| 73 | 20 | 600 million | |
| Source = | |||
Talas slowed down on approaching Japan, bringing heavy rainfall to the southern coast. In Shunan, Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi is the 15th most common Japanese surname.-People:People bearing the surname Yamaguchi include:*Adam Yamaguchi, an American television correspondent and producer at Current TV...
, extremely heavy rainfall of 66.5 millimeters per hour was observed, with rainfall of 69.0 mm in Yamanakako, Yamanashi
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, and 49.5 mm in Ichinoseki, Iwate
Iwate
Iwate can refer to:* Iwate Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan.* Iwate, Iwate, a town in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.* Japanese cruiser Iwate, an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1900 to the end of World War II....
which exceeded overall records for the entire month of September. As the typhoon approached, The Fujisankei Classic
Fujisankei Classic
The is an annual golf event on the Japan Golf Tour. It was first played in 1973 on the Takasaka Country Club - Yoneyama Course. The tournament moved to the Higashi-Matsuyama Golf Club in 1979 and to the Kawana Hotel's Fuji course in 1981. The tournament has been held at the Fujizakura Country Club...
, an annual golf event on the Japan Golf Tour
Japan Golf Tour
The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...
was disrupted by the heavy rain. Heavy rains triggered flash flooding, which killed one person, and injured 17 leaving three more missing soon after the landfall. Some 3,200 people were evacuated in 16 prefectures after the typhoon slammed the island nation with extremely heavy rains. The Central Japan Railway Company
Central Japan Railway Company
The is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...
had to suspend its bullet train services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Gifu-Hashima
Hashima, Gifu
is a city located in the Gifu Prefecture of central Japan.Hashima covers a total area of 87.77 km². As of July 2011 the city has an estimated population of 67,041 inhabitants.The city was founded on 1 April 1954.-External links:*...
and Maibara railway stations because of the storm. More than 300 houses were flooded while several landslides were reported since the storm's landfall in southern Japan. Also, since the storm was moving unusually slow, it worsened the condition. NHK confirmed that the number of dead was 27, the number of injured was 106 and the number of missing was 49. Some 700 houses were completely inundated by the floodwaters spawned by Talas in eastern and western Japan and about 9,500 households in nine prefectures across the nation were without power after power outages. More than 400 flights were cancelled leaving some 34,000 stranded. Most of the devastation occurred in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, where a flooded river washed away two complete houses and a landslide destroyed four houses. Extremely heavy rainfall of as high as 170 centimetres (66.9 in) was dumped over Osaka since Talas approached Japan. The heavy rainfall triggered obvious flooding in the rivers, but so extreme that an entire bridge was washed away.
Talas poured record rainfall across the nation stranding thousands, turning towns into lakes and washed away cars, setting off mudslides. The storm also damaged the Nijō Castle
Nijo Castle
is a flatland castle located in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens...
, a flatland castle located in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan. On September 5, Japanese rescue workers started digging through the debris to look for the missing since the number of missing is unusually high. Death toll continued to rise after the intense mudslides and flooding triggered by Talas. CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reported that local authorities raised the death toll to 29 and the number of missing to 56. The Japanese government started an emergency search-and-rescue operation to begin reconstruction of damaged communities and to find those missing. Ever since the typhoon approached land, Talas continuously dumped heavy rain over the Wakayama
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
, Nara and Mie
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
prefectures turning a large portion of the area to swamps. More than 750 Self-Defense Forces have been deployed in order to help local police and firefighters with the rescue and search operations. Talas broke a record of 1322 millimetres (52 in) rainfall that fell on the southern town of Takachiho
Takachiho, Miyazaki
is a town located in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.-Geography:Takachiho is located in the northernmost part of Miyazaki Prefecture, bordering Kumamoto Prefecture on its north and northwest sides and Oita Prefecture on its north and northeast sides. The Gokase River flows from the...
in Miyazaki Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
in September 2005. Talas's rainfall also exceeded the year round average of rainfall that falls over the city of Tokyo. Most of the deaths were reported in Wakayama Prefecture where at least 17 people are reported to have been killed. The typhoon caused most of the substantial damage in the Kii Peninsula, that is located just a few hundreds of kilometers south of the tsunami-ravaged coast. The death toll continued to rise rapidly and on the same day, Kyodo News
Kyodo News
is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million subscribers. K. K. Kyodo News is Kyodo News' business...
updated the number of deaths to 32 and the number of missing to 57. Japan's newly elected Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Yoshihiko Noda
Yoshihiko Noda
is the current Prime Minister of Japan, a member of the Democratic Party of Japan , and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...
said "We will do everything we can to rescue people and search for the missing". Both remnants of Talas and the outflow of Tropical Storm Noru together brought heavy rainfall of over 400 mm in Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
.
Electric and telephone lines in Mie, Nara and Wakayama prefectures were damaged, leaving some 194,000 households in the Kansai Electric Power Company
Kansai Electric Power Company
, also known as , is an electric utility with its operational area of Kansai region, Japan . The company is regarded as one of the leading companies in Kansai, as well as a leader of the Japanese electric power industry....
's area with power outages. On September 6, aid-laden helicopters landed in the hardest-hit areas while police, firefighters and soldiers started clearing roads and debris so that they could distribute food, medicine and other assistance. However, thousands of people remained isolated for a long time because of the bad conditions of the roads, that prevented rescue workers from quickly reaching the victims. Relief materials such as canned food, rice balls, and drinking water were being supplied to the victims since the operation was stared. Talas death toll continued to rise rapidly since the landfall. On September 7, the death toll was said to have increased to 40 with 50 people still missing. Later the same day, death toll continued to rise and reached 54 after reports from the search and rescue operations listed more people as dead. Soon, Air Worldwide reported that the total losses caused by Talas in Japan could have exceeded US$ 600 million. On September 8, death toll rose to rose to 59, while 50 others were still missing. Hundreds more remained stranded after several roads were damaged by the typhoon.
Records
Talas moved very slowly and had a huge galeGale
A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
diameter throughout its life. As a result, it induced moisture advection
Moisture advection
Moisture advection is the horizontal transport of water vapor by the wind. Measurement and knowledge of atmospheric water vapor, or "moisture", is crucial in the prediction of all weather elements, especially clouds, fog, temperature, humidity thermal comfort indices and...
for many hours causing record breaking rainfall in western to northern Japan, especially near the mountainous regions. The total amount of the precipitation
Precipitation
Precipitation may refer to:* Precipitation , rain, sleet, hail, snow and other forms of water falling from the sky* Precipitation , the condensation of a solid from a solution during a chemical reaction...
exceeded 1000 millimetres (39.4 in) in the Kii Peninsula
Kii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. The area south of the “Central Tectonic Line” is called Nankii , and includes the most poleward living coral reefs in the world due to the presence of the warm Kuroshio Current, though these are threatened by global warming and human...
. Also, rainfall in Nara Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
exceeded 1652.5 millimetres (65.1 in) setting a nationwide heavy rainfall record in Japan. Altogether, the total amount of the precipitation from Talas in some areas was estimated to be over 2000 millimetres (78.7 in).
External links
- The JMA's Best Track Data on Severe Tropical Storm Talas (1112)
- The JMA's RSMC Best Track Data (Graphics) on Severe Tropical Storm Talas (1112)
- The JMA's RSMC Best Track Data (Text)
