Rainy season gives way to tropical storms

The Okinawa Metrological Observatory announced that the annual rainy season is over, surrendering the weather attention to tropical storm season, which has quickly produced a couple of tropical systems, including one brushing Okinawa.

The rainy season ended last Friday.  It began May 14th, lasting 31 days and ending nine days earlier than the average.  This year’s rainy season was far short of the two 60-day rainy seasons in 1952 and 1982.

During this year’s rainy season 514.5 mm of rain was recorded in Naha, which is 1.8 times the average. On the other hand, Ishigaki Island got only 64 mm of rain, or about a quarter of normal, while Miyako Island did not fare much better receiving 124 mm of rain which is half of the normal year.

Two tropical weather systems rolled across Japanese waters immediately in the wake of the rainy season; one passed well east of Okinawa, while a second yesterday provided a preview of what some meteorologists are predicting to be a severe typhoon season, coming close to Okinawa’s main island with tropical force winds.

16:48 29 Mar , 2024