This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Tokyo has logged 34 straight days of rain, the longest streak on record, Japan's weather agency said Tuesday. Climate change fueled by fossil fuel emissions increases moisture in the atmosphere, making heavy rain more likely.
Global weather is also being shaped this year by El Niño, which shifts winds, air pressure and cloud patterns and can bring heavy rain to some areas and droughts to others. The Japanese capital's rainy season is normally in June, but Tokyo has had regular heavy downpours throughout the summer, as well as heavy flooding in the wider region. The stretch of rainy days was the longest since records began in 1886.
Masayuki Kyoda, an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), told that "the distinctive weather map during this month is in part because of El Niño," which has brought higher temperatures to the Pacific Ocean. "Autumn rain fronts are staying longer than usual," Kyoda said, referring to Tokyo's rainy season. He said a high-pressure system in the Pacific is also remaining longer than normal.
He said that although it was not possible to directly link the streak to climate change, a JMA report last year concluded that "global warming was impacting Japan's weather long-term, including through more precipitation." The previous record for the longest streak of rainy days in Tokyo was 33, from June 27 to July 29, 2019, said Kazuhiro Hirono, another JMA official. Central Tokyo had received 629 millimeters (24.8 inches) of rain in September through Monday, nearly three times the normal level, according to the JMA. That was approaching the September record of 670.9 millimeters (26.4 inches), set in 1958, the weather agency said.
Tokyo's wet weather comes as 1.7 million people have been affected by recent flooding in Thailand after an intense weather system hit the region. Twenty-three people have been killed since mid-September. Master's in physics with research experience.
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