Yonaguni had record rainfall

Yonaguni Island, the westernmost inhabited island in Okinawa Prefecture, recorded the heaviest rainfall ever on Sunday when 130.5 mm (5.14 inches) of rain per hour fell on the island.

According to Okinawa Meteorological Bureau, an unstable atmosphere over Yaeyama area brought the rainfall. The previous highest rainfall on Yonaguni was recorded in 2003.  The bureau says the reason for the heavy rain was a low atmospheric pressure that brought a front of warm and wet air into the area.

Because of the extremely heavy rain, 20 and 40-meter-long portions of concrete block walls at Kubura Elementary and Junior High School collapsed. The main road on the island was temporarily blocked because a river over-flooded.

15:35 14 Dec , 2024