TOKYO, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan's weather agency on Sunday announced the start of the rainy season for two southwestern regions and the end of it in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the season arrived four days later than the average for northern Kyushu and three days later for Shikoku, but nine days earlier than last year for both regions.
Fifty-three millimeters of rain were recorded in just one hour Sunday morning in the town of Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture, while similar rainfalls are expected in northern Kyushu starting on Monday.
Over the next 24 hours through Monday morning, the expected maximum precipitation is 80 millimeters in northern Kyushu and 120 millimeters in southern Kyushu, where the rainy season started earlier.
The JMA is advising caution against landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and swollen rivers, urging residents to check hazards in areas around their houses and workplaces.
Meanwhile, the end of the rainy season in Okinawa was the earliest since the JMA began taking the current form of statistics, it added. ■
