TOKYO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rain lashed central Japan on Tuesday, leading to flooding in some areas and prompting an emergency flood warning for a major river in the region.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a Level 5 emergency warning for flooding of the Shonai River, which runs through Gifu and Aichi prefectures, the highest level alert on the agency's scale of one to five for flooding.
Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture logged 104.5 mm of rain in the one hour ending at around 4:50 p.m. local time, the highest hourly rainfall ever recorded in the city since record-keeping began, according to the JMA.
As of 7 p.m. local time, about 1,600 people had taken refuge at evacuation shelters, according to the city government.
All subway services operated by the city, as well as other local train services, were suspended, affecting many commuters.
Weather officials said torrential rain could continue in many parts of the country over the next few days, urging people to remain on high alert for landslides, overflowing rivers and flooding in low-lying areas. ■