WeatherFanatics: Francisco Brings More Than a Foot of Rain to Japan

Friday, October 25, 2013

Francisco Brings More Than a Foot of Rain to Japan

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

October 25,2013; 9:24PM,EDT

Francisco has made a sharp turn toward the northeast which will keep the center of the storm off the coast of Japan. However, it will still bring heavy rain and a risk of flooding to part of the nation.
Francisco is no longer classified as a tropical storm, but it is still capable of producing heavy rain as a tropical rainstorm.
Although Tropical Rainstorm Francisco has been following a track similar to deadly Typhoon Wipha from last week, the storm will pass farther offshore and produce only a limited wind threat for eastern Japan.
The greatest threat from Francisco will be the heavy rainfall that will continue into Saturday before ending as Francisco is pulled farther northeast into the open Pacific Ocean.

NOAA Satellite image of Tropical Rainstorm Francisco early Saturday morning, local time
Thus far, the heaviest rainfall has occurred across Shikoku and southern Honshu, where many locations have received 150-250 mm (6-10 inches) of rainfall. One of the hardest hit areas is Kochi, where rainfall has totaled 313 mm (12.32 inches) through Friday evening, local time.
Across the Tokyo metropolitan area, one of the hardest hit by Typhoon Wipha, rainfall totals between 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) are forecast through Saturday night. The heaviest rainfall is expected to continue into the day on Saturday, local time.
In eastern Kyushu, Oita recorded 217 mm (8.54 inches) of rain. Morotsuka has seen a extremely high amount of rainfall, reaching 381 mm (15 inches). The major city of Fukuoka in northern Kyushu has had 151 mm (5.95 inches) of rainfall.
South of the mainland, the tiny island of Minamidaito recorded nearly 254 mm (10 inches) of rain from the storm.
The rainfall from Francisco will cause many areas across southern and eastern Japan to reach 200-300 percent of their normal monthly rainfall for October.

Radar snapshot showing heavy rainfall from Francisco near Tokyo early Saturday morning, local time.
Unlike Wipha, the winds from Francisco will be noticeably lighter. Sustained winds will be 20 to 30 mph with isolated gusts to 40 mph near the coast of eastern Japan.
The weakened state of Francisco is contributed to a number a factors, including cooler northern waters and interaction with a frontal boundary to the north. This front pushing through northern Japan will also steer Francisco northeastward.
RELATED:
Typhoon Wipha Leaves Dozens Missing in Japan
Japan Radar
AccuWeather Hurricane Center
Additionally, Typhoon Lekima will push northward over the open waters of the Pacific and will help pull Francisco to the east of Japan.
Lekima, which strengthened to a super typhoon Wednesday morning, EDT, was estimated to have a central pressure of 905 mb, making it the strongest typhoon of the 2013 season.
Meteorologist Eric Leister contributed to this story

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